


Nebula

by 4LiberTEA, NaniTheQuiznak



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adorable, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Body Worship, Eventual Happy Ending, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Jealous!Keith, Jealousy, M/M, Marking, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Past, Possesive!Lance, Possessive Behavior, Romantic Angst, Romantic Fluff, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Tattoos, Worth It, Worth Re-Reading, klance, klangst, possessive!Keith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-10
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2018-10-30 10:57:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 43,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10875348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/4LiberTEA/pseuds/4LiberTEA, https://archiveofourown.org/users/NaniTheQuiznak/pseuds/NaniTheQuiznak
Summary: In a society where you can know when you meet your soulmate, Lance McClain goes on as many dates as he possibly can in hope he will find that special person. Even after realizing his date isn't his soulmate, he likes to get to know them better, ask them on a second date. So he does just that. However his second date does not go as planned at all...A constellation forming a heart, for love, acceptance and patience.A constellation forming an arrow, for aggression, protection and short temper.A constellation forming a pierced heart, for working together as one, opposites and weighting each other out.





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where it all started? Nah, not every story is a fairy tale. And not every story has a happy end, nor beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my online friend and I came up with this story, and she had the ideas, i mingled and added. I wrote and she edited. On wattpad you can check out the amazing cover she made for this book! (It's originally posted on my Wattpad, NaniTheQuiznak). I hope you'll enjoy! (:
> 
>  
> 
> [My Tumblr!](http://nanithequiznak.tumblr.com/)

  
It was a bright, sunny morning. The wind animating the sky was slightly chilly. A young six year old was happily skipping down the street, pulling his grandmother along by the hand. The woman smiled, dimples forming as her eyes held a happy glow. Seeing the young chocolate-haired boy so full of energy, ready for his first day in his new school, made her feel just as joyful. The sun reflected slightly on his caramel-coloured skin, and his bright blue eyes shined with wonder.

"C'mon abuela, faster!" The boy stopped, waiting for his elder to catch her breath. They had been walking at a fast pace.

"Why don't you slow down, cariño. I'm not that fast, and you know that," the women laughed slightly.

"Sorry!'' The boy flashed her a toothy grin in apology. He walked alongside her at a regular pace.

Arriving at the gates where other adults were scattered and were talking, the first grader gave his grandmother a tight hug around her waist. "I'll see you soon! Bye abuela!"

The boy ran off across the playground. The woman's eyes were glued on her grandchild's running silhouette, until he was safely inside the building. The teacher smiled at him as she held open the door, letting all the kids in.

A smile found its way onto her thin, cracked lips once again.

"They grow up so fast," she mumbled in amusement.

Inside were a lot of kids, the small boy didn't really know where to stand. But the nice-looking teacher walked in, and glanced around. Clapping her hands so she had everyone's attention, she silenced the room and gently directed all the children to go sit in a circle.

"Alright everyone, welcome! I hope you'll have lots of fun and that you'll make plenty new friends this year! So, let's get to know each other, alright? I'm Mrs. Haggar! I might look stern, but I'm not if you behave correctly!'' said the woman. She had long, white hair, but still looked relatively young.

"Say your name and a few facts about yourself, maybe you have some things in common with another classmate! Who wants to go first?'' she asked, her eyes landing on a few kids at her feet. Some children raised their hands at light speed. The naturally tanned boy waited patiently as the others stated their names. He made some mental notes of who he thought was cool and who he wanted to befriend later.

Some time had passed, and it was his turn. He stood up, everyone's eyes on him. "Well, my name is Lance McClain. And I moved here a while ago, I'm originally from Cuba, but my dad's from here! I really love the ocean, the sky, and the colour blue!'' he disclosed, smiling.

"Thank you for sharing that Lance," Mrs. Haggar grinned. Lance sat down again and the next kid stood up.

After everyone had introduced themselves it was already break. Lance noticed a group of kids who were in his grade. He skipped towards them with a big grin.

"Hi! I'm Lance. Can I play with you gu–," he began but a boy cut him off by roughly pushing him, making him stumble backwards.

"Go away!" a girl said angrily. Lance recalled her name was Nyma. She glared at him in distaste. She had pudding blonde hair tied in two pigtails. She glared at him with her hands on her hips.

"What? Cat caught your tongue, Lanky?" the boy, Rolo, pushed him again. This time harder and Lance fell down on his behind with a small yelp.

Earlier today, when everyone was introducing themselves, Lance had noticed everyone in his grade was shorter than him. It made him anxious yes, but not any different. Not to the point he should be teased about it and called "Lanky".

The boy put his foot on Lance's shoulder and put pressure on it. Lance automatically leaned back and laid against the concrete. Looking up at the light blond, almost white when the sun shone upon him, he smirked evilly.

"Did you redo a few grades, huh? You sure are too tall to be in our grade," he spat and kicked Lance.

"Yeah, this is our school, go away!'' a voice said, but Lance couldn't make out who's voice it was. His vision was blurred with forming salty tears, which slid down his slightly freckled cheeks.

"Aww, what a crybaby. Go to your mommy, you baby!'' the girl sneered and laughed.

"Yeah, he really is, look at him cry. How pathetic! Right Nyma?" Rolo chuckled, and grinned victorious.

"Very true Rolo, he doesn't even act his age! Haha," Nyma smirked along, and high-fived him.

Lance didn't know what to do, so he cried, silently calling for his mother and father. His older sister and older brother. For his grandparents. But despite his cries of fear, they weren't there to save him. They weren't there to protect him. His mother wasn't there to kiss his knee after patching it up where he had scraped it. His father wasn't there to pat his head and give him a proud smile. His older brother wasn't there to kick the soccer ball to him, so he'd feel wanted and useful. His older sister wasn't there to hug him when he was sad. And his grandparents weren't there to tell him stories about experiences and give him wise advice.

He was all alone, by himself.

Or so he thought.

Rolo raised his foot, ready to kick Lance in the guts. Lance closed his eyes and inhaled a sharp breath, embracing himself for the impact, but it never came. Instead there was a gasp and a loud thud. Lance snapped his eyes open, to be met by the image of a raven-haired kid standing between Lance and the others. He had pulled Rolo away from him before he had the chance to kick, and he had thrown him onto the ground in front of Nyma and the rest. He was glaring at Rolo and Nyma's group, and you could sense anger radiating off of him. The gloomy aura darkened by his presence. Lance felt a shiver run down his spine. He might be tall for his age, but he felt so intimidated by this mysterious kid.

To an adult it's cute when a six year old glares, but remember those creepy kids in scary movies? Yeah, that's what was happening, at least that's what Lance thought.

"Who do you think you ar–" Nyma had started but a growl cut her off.

"Don't! If you don't want any trouble, take that loser from the ground and go away!" aggressively warned the black-haired and light-skinned boy. He clenched his fists at his sides while dangerously glaring at the group of bullies.

Nyma stood still for a few seconds, and made the right decision by helping Rolo off the ground and hurrying away with their group.

The nameless boy scowled at them, a low rumble escaping his throat. He inhaled deeply and exhaled, glancing in the corner of his eye at Lance. Who sat there, frozen.

The boy sighed. "Are you okay?" he asked. Lance swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded.

The mysterious boy held out his pale hand, a few freckles dotting the skin. Lance slowly took it, but instead of heaving himself up, he pulled the boy down. As a reflex, the boy kneeled and Lance wrapped his arms around him.

"Thank you..." Lance whispered in a cracked voice.

The boy was smaller than him, and warmth was beaming from his skin. He smelled nice, his touch felt domestic, and Lance almost felt at home. Like he belonged there, in the crook of the boy's neck.

The boy pushed back, and Lance let go. He couldn't help but feel disappointed and hollow in his chest.

"I'm Keith!" he smiled, his lips barely lifting. "In case you forgot." The boy, named Keith, chuckled lightly. It was soft and melodious, almost like an angel singing.

"I uh... I'm Lance," replied the brunet softly. His vision and attention were focused on Keith's eyes.

His eyes were dark—some would mistake them for black, but you could see the little specks of different hues of purple in them.

"I know, silly." Suddenly Keith had a complete different personality. He was gentle and caring around Lance.

"Want to be friends?" spontaneously asked Lance with hope the other would agree. He really liked Keith. He believed he was his guardian angel, the one who saved him when no one else was there. He never wanted to be separated from the boy now that he had tasted the heavenly protection.

"Sure! Like that I'll be able to defend you whenever! You big goof," Keith said playfully while patting Lance's back.

The bell rang, signaling that it was time to go back inside. "C'mon, let's go!" urged Keith taking Lance's wrist and running off.

When they were about to enter the classroom, Mrs. Haggar blocked their way. Rolo and Nyma stood behind her with smug faces.

"Oh no, this can't be good," Lance muttered under his breath.

"Boys, I've heard that you pushed Rolo and threatened Nyma, what were you thinking?" she inquired, her tone was low but harsh.

"But Miss, we didn't do–" Lance started but Mrs. Haggar scolded them anyway, saying she'd have a talk with their guardians after school.

Keith gave Lance's arm a gentle squeeze, "We'll be fine, don't worry."

Lance nodded. He stared at Keith thinking about how he wanted him to lean over and kiss his cheek in thanks. It was something weird to think about, so he shook it off and concentrated on going back to their classroom.

This time all the kids were free to play with the toys. Lance and Keith had huddled up in a corner together, with two cat-shaped robots, one blue and the other red. Keith had remembered Lance's favourite colour was blue, so he gave Lance that one.

They were doing a role-play where they were defenders of the universe and were fighting monsters in space with the robot cats. That is, until Rolo and Nyma showed up. As if they hadn't had enough trouble today.

"Well well well, seems like Lancy-poo has a boyfriend," Nyma cooed, but her tone was odd.

"You two together now?" Rolo laughed and snatched Lance's toy. Lance whined but didn't make any movements to get it back. Keith stood up and glared at them both.

"Give it back!"

"Oh? What if we don't?" Rolo dared to question.

"Seems like your boyfriend needs to protect you again, how pathetic," Nyma sneered at Lance.

Keith gritted his teeth. "Give it back, or else..." Keith trailed off.

"Or else what?" Rolo scoffed.

Lance had had enough. He had always had a big heart, and he had patience when it came to relationships. But he knew Keith was short tempered and the complete opposite of him. So before Keith could do anything stupid, Lance took the matter into his own hands. He couldn't let Keith take the fall one more time, especially not on his behalf. Not when he could do something himself.

He aggressively took the toy back and whacked Rolo with it. Rolo stood still, holding his head in pain. Then he started crying.

Nyma followed Rolo to the teacher. Lance gulped, panicked. He looked at Keith, who was stifling his laugh.

They sure were in trouble now.

___________________

  
"Still, even if they started it, you should've known better then to hit him with a toy, Lance!'' his mother scolded. Lance looked down, he had disappointed his mother.

"Keith, please. Don't start fights again, okay?" Keith's grandmother said.

"But granny, they wanted to beat him up!" Keith exclaimed and motioned at Lance for reference. His grandma glanced over to the brunet. He looked back with teary eyes, standing in place.

"Okay I'll talk with Rolo's and Nyma's parents, but just... make sure this doesn't happen again. It's terrible behaviour. And if they don't change it now it'll still be a trait of their personality when they grow older," warned Mrs. Haggar. "I'm willing to let the matter go without grave consequences since this is their first day of school and new things can cause strange demeanors. I'll explain everything to the other two's parents and hopefully they won't make a scene. That's all for now. But you must promise to never do this again."

Keith's grandmother and Lance's mother agreed and thanked the teacher. All four exited the school, the two women taking the lead.

"You live in the same street as us?" Lance heard his mother ask Keith's grandma.

"Well from what I see we do. You moved there not too long ago, no?" she asked. Lance's mother nodded in response while humming.

"Hey."

Lance jumped slightly when he heard Keith's unexpected voice. It was low and hushed. He glanced the other way.

"Hey..." Lance mumbled quietly. He was still upset about everything.

"I'm not really the best at comforting...but if it makes you feel better, I think you're awesome for hitting Rolo with the toy. He deserved it!" Keith declared and smiled. It was contagious, and Lance's own lips tugged upwards.

"Keith!" his grandmother reprimanded.

"What? He's an idiot! I swear," Keith retorted, not afraid to speak his mind.

"I'm so sorry, he's bad influence for Lance," sighed the elderly woman feeling embarrassed by her grandson's comportment.

This caught both the boys' attention.

"It's okay. He's a young and feisty boy."

"No it isn't, I'm sorry Carmen. Keith usually doesn't make friends, and I'm happy he did but he already got Lance into a fight... I don't think it's a good idea that they stay frie-''

"No!" Keith shouted and stopped in his tracks, grabbing Lance's arm and pulling him close.

Lance felt his face heat up. He shot wary glances from Keith to their two guardians. He stood tense as he was merely a spectator to the following scenes.

"I promise I'll behave! Don't take him away from me!" exclaimed Keith, his head lowering and his voice cracking in the middle of his statement.

Lance didn't know why, but he was pretty sure he liked Keith more than a friend and they had only just met.

He liked him as a best friend for sure.

"Aww, honey," cooed his grandmother with an amused smile.

"I'm pretty sure they're inseparable already," Lance's mom giggled, crossing her arms in defeat. "Seems like they bonded rather quickly."

Both women watched with adoration as the two children stayed glued to one another with fierce gazes. Their determined looks made it clear that there was something not to be broken. They were not ready to let go of each other anytime soon.

__________________

  
Three years had passed since the boys had met, and their special bond had grown even stronger. They became best of friends, and did everything together. The two nine year olds were extremely close.

Sadly, over the years, Keith's grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Usually it's not necessarily deadly and it's treatable, but it was spreading, and the senile woman was weakened by age and fatigue. The McClain household gladly took Keith in until his guardian would be able to care for him again. It was like a prolonged sleepover with your best friend during, and despite it being a gloomy situation, Lance and Keith were able to make the best of it.

Also the newborn—Lance's first younger sister—liked Keith a lot. Whenever she cried, Keith was the only one who could calm her down.

The boys were seated beside each other in class, like in every other period. That day they were going to get something named "Soulmate education". Lance and Keith had heard about soulmates and something with tattoos. The complete story of how people found their soulmates would be explained so when the children grew older they would know what to do.

But Lance hated needles. Totally despised them; he feared them completely. He knew how tattoos were created and was afraid he would have to get a needle stuck under his skin multiple times in order to find his soulmate. And when the time would come for him to get his shots, he would be absolutely terrified. Keith would promise him that everything would be fine, and he would patiently stay by his side holding his hand. Keith on the other contrary found the needle strangely interesting and he was deep in thought about it up until he would hear Lance cry. After the whole ordeal the first time, Keith had developed a new passion for needles and sharp objects like swords and knives. He knew he would like to study them closer further on.

A woman and a man walked into the classroom. They seemed very kind. They were dressed casually and wore bright smiles. They stood side by side in the front of the classroom filled with fourth graders.

"Hello children! Hi, welcome. I'm Colleen, and this is my husband, Sam!" she smiled a motherly smile.

"We came all the way here to tell you about soulmates. Who has ever heard about that?" the man, Sam, asked. Lance and Keith and a few others, including Rolo and Nyma, raised their hands.

"Great! Now, who knows what a soulmate is?" Colleen asked happily, clapping her hands together.

Some kids tried to guess but it was all some nonsense they had heard and put together.

"Well, at least you tried. If you have any questions just raise your hand, alright?" chuckled Sam.

"A soulmate actually is someone who you're destined to be with. They were made for you and fate will bring you two together when the time is right," Colleen explained. A kid raised their hand. "Ah yes, you? What's your question honey?" Colleen gave her a smile.

"In the romantic way?" she asked and Colleen nodded. "Could it be the same gender too?" she added, much quieter this time.

"Of course!" Colleen chirped up.

"And what if they die? Will we be alone forever?" someone else questioned.

"Well, sadly you won't meet that perfect person for you. But many people have relationships with people who are not their soulmates, and they all live just as happily. Just because you don't meet your soulmate doesn't mean you won't meet anyone ever. But if it's meant to be, your reunion will find it's way! Don't worry," clarified Sam.

"What if you don't want any relationships?" Nyma asked.

"Ah, that's fine too. If you and your soulmate talk 'bout your boundaries or your feelings, and they understand you and where you're coming from, then you both can come on the same terms," Sam explained. "After all, they are your soulmate, so they understand you more than anyone else." It was quiet again as the children ran the words in their minds over and over again. Lance shot a quick glance to Keith who was engrossed with the speech. He put his hands on his knees and couldn't help but wonder...

"So, where were we? Oh right!" Lance's thoughts were interrupted and he focused back onto the presentation given up front. "On the day you turn twelve, a tattoo will appear on your wrist, left or right, it doesn't matter!" trailed on Colleen. "But it's only half of the full tattoo. Your soulmate will have the other half. And the day you meet after your tattoos will complete so it will create one picture! That way, you'll notice the change on your tattoo and know you crossed paths with your destined person," she continued.

"Will it just appear out of nowhere like magic?" a kid asked.

"Yep, it's not like a common tattoo. No needles, no pain. Just arrives out of nowhere. Poof," answered Sam moving his arms around to make it seem like dust and sparkles could burst out of his palms.

"Are you two soulmates?" a child in a grey oversized sweater asked.

"Indeed we are, and our soulmate tattoo is a flower. We think it's because we both love flowers! Your tattoo has some meaning behind it for you and your soulmate as well as completing each other," added Colleen with a soft smile.

"What if the tattoo never appears?" a child asked, voice trembling with concern.

"There has never been a case like that. Every person gets a tattoo, even the ones who don't want a romantic relationship. Their tattoos symbolize the perfect person for them, whether they will love that person romantically or platonically doesn't change that fact."

"What if your soulmate is dead before you've met them?" Rolo asked. He seemed very into it.

"Sadly you'll only have half of your tattoo. If they die, whether you've met them or not, the tattoo will fade to grey," Sam voiced quietly.

"So you'd know when to stop searching? Isn't it painful to know the one you're destined to be with isn't even there?" somebody muttered with a sad sigh.

"Well yes...but you could always get another tattoo over your soulmate mark," reasoned Colleen, sadness wavering in her voice.

Lance started thinking. He had come to feel so much for his best friend. The simple joy of being friends soon was overwhelmed by something much stronger. He wasn't too sure about it at first, but since it persisted over the years, he came to accept it. Lance was in love with Keith. He could barely admit it to himself and knew he would never be able to tell Keith about it. He was so embarrassed. He was afraid his strange feelings would ruin everything simple they had between each other. Because of that he kept his emotions for Keith locked down and displayed them in another manner, courting his female classmates.

Lance usually never thought much about the topic of soulmates, nor the stories of how his grandparents, parents and his eldest brother and his fiancée had met. He hoped deep down that Keith was his soulmate, but what if he wasn't?

"So, soulmates ar–," Colleen started, but Lance didn't even notice he was the one interrupting her.

"What if you fall in love with someone else, who's not your soulmate?" he blurted out, face turning red as he slowly realized he had involuntarily stolen the spotlight.

He sensed Keith flinch beside him, but refused to look. He stared at Colleen filled with determination, awaiting an answer.

"Oh... Uh... well... You'll feel a mate-pull when you've met your soulmate. But if you really love another person, who is not your soulmate and they really love you, and you're both willing to start a relationship with someone who isn't your soulmate, that's totally fine. It isn't mandatory to be with your soulmate, after all," Colleen explained. "It's just that our soulmate is the person with whom we are most likely to get along with best, and live happily together. It is not guaranteed that a relationship with someone else will be fruitful."

Lance nodded and ignored all the looks which were focused on him. One pair of eyes in particular were burning him with curiosity. Keith's.

Time passed and everything was thoroughly explained. The children were asked to talk with the person next to them about how they would want their tattoo to look like.

"I don't know," Keith huffed and picked his nails in boredom. "I don't care either. As long as it's cool."

"Ah well, I don't really know either..."

There was some silence between the two. They glanced around the room in search of something to say.

"Keith?" Lance dared to speak.

"Mhm?" Keith hummed and looked up.

Lance wanted to tell him that he was scared that he'd lose him to his soulmate, but he backed out in fear. He had no chance, Keith wouldn't like him anyway. Who would, right? Lance heard Keith clear his throat meaning he needed to continue what he wanted to say. Lance panicked and his words fumbled out of his mouth.

"You're growing a mullet," stated Lance blankly, mentally face-palming himself right after the syllables rolled off his tongue.

"That was terrible, I'm so dumb. Why did I say that?" he internally scolded himself.

"I am?" Keith's eyes widened slightly, as his hand traveled to the back of his neck. Lance felt his stomach churn.

"A-Ah but I l-like it! It's cool! Please don't ever get rid of it!" Lance jabbered, and found more honesty in his words than he had intended. He did like it, it fitted Keith. It circled the base of his neck perfectly and curled up to his ears. It added a little something to his face.

"Oh... alright then," replied Keith, unsure what to say. He flashed an awkward smile and looked away from Lance sticking his palm to his cheek. Both their faces were dusted with a red blush as the rest of the period went on.

_____________________

  
Another year had passed since the two ten year olds had crossed paths on their first day of first grade, making it four years of deared friendship. Lance and Keith were sitting on the swings on the small playground close by their street as the day was coming to an end.

"Keith?" Lance questioned, kicking his feet in the air to launch himself into a rocking movement.

"Yeah?"

"What if you find your soulmate before me, and you leave me... What will I do?" Lance asked worried. He knew Keith's grandmother was lying on her death bed, and this was a trivial thing to talk about. But what would happen if she really passed away? It was inevitable. She was Keith's only guardian and the McClains couldn't take care of the boy forever. He would have to move someday. They would have to be separated. And what if Keith found his soulmate then? Lance wouldn't even know about it. He would probably just wait until he and Keith would meet again with the silly hope that they would be soulmates.

"What? Of course I won't leave you, don't say it like I'd abandon you," chuckled Keith. "We're best friends. We bicker a lot but still, you're my best friend and I'd never want to leave you."

"Yeah but...one day you'll find them and–," gushed Lance in consternation. He was overreacting and being anxious. He knew he was still very young. But he loved Keith so much. Knowing that someone else was meant for him just broke his insecure heart.

"Lance," stated Keith using his warning voice to calm down the brunet. By now Keith had noticed Lance on the edge of crying again. He stood up and took both of the ropes of the swing and pulled Lance closer, sternly gazing into those bright blue eyes he adored.

"We still have two years until we get our tattoo's, so calm down. Okay? I'm here, now, so stop worrying," reassured Keith, smiling softly. Lance was blinded by the sight and stood up, hugging Keith. He pulled him down so that they were sitting on the ground. "It's okay, silly." Keith nuzzled into Lance's neck. He was never too fond of human contact, but with Lance? He couldn't care less. He really appreciated the intimate moments they had together. He loved just being glued to Lance, cradling each other in their arms, having the world to themselves.

After Lance had calmed down, they both headed back to the latter's house. But as they neared the usually cheerful household, they sensed something was wrong.

Very wrong.

"Mamá, we're back!" Lance announced closing the front door behind his friend. His mother hurried to them with a worried and sad expression, directed at Keith. Lance stiffened, he could feel Keith tense beside him as well.

"No, no, no! Not now! Not so soon," Lance screamed in his head. He held his breath as his mother knelt down in front of Keith. Her face was sorrowful and she tried to make it as comfortable for the raven-haired boy as possible.

"Keith... your grandmother she... she passed away," she announced quietly. "I'm terribly sorry." Her eyes were swirling with grief. She held Keith in her arms and combed the back of his head with her hand.

"When?" Keith's voice was small and dull. He stood still in Carmen's embrace.

"An hour ago," she replied, "We received a call from the hospital, she... she... It got the best of her." The caring woman broke down crying and held Keith closer. The boy remained passive as the information slowly engraved itself into his brain. He felt the tears welling up, he heard his walls breaking down. Carmen let go of him to see his face and try to help but Keith immediately fell to the ground. His knees had given in, just like his grandmother had. He tuned everything out. Lance's worried cries rang far away. Carmen's sympathetic caresses seemed to barely graze his skin.

The last person that was family by blood, was gone. He was all alone.

He had never known his dad. People said he died a few months after his mom got pregnant. His mother had died when Keith was born. Leaving the mother of his mother to take care of him, his grandmother. Aunts, uncles, nephews and nieces, nobody knew anything about them. Keith had a small family. His grandmother took care of him since the day he was allowed to leave the hospital. She taught him everything until now. She was all Keith had, and now she was gone as well.

________________________

  
The funeral had been hell. Lance didn't leave Keith's side for a second. It was a small ceremony, only adding to the tragedy. She was buried next to her daughter and husband, in their hometown. The raven-haired orphan spent one last week with the McClains before he would have to leave. Despite being only ten, they were aware of what was going to happen. Just as Lance had predicted.

"Keith, do you have everything you need?" Carmen asked gently, affectionately ruffling his hair.

"Yeah..." As if the entire ordeal wasn't sad enough, Keith now had to leave Lance too. Just when a few days ago he had promised he wouldn't. The cruel irony of life.

"I'll leave you two alone for a while," whispered Carmen leaving the kitchen. Keith looked up from the tiled floor, and his violet eyes were met by dull, blue ones. Ones which once held bright colours.

"L-Lance..." Keith's voice broke, as he found it hard to find words.

"Y-You promised," Lance muttered harshly, not trusting his voice with high octaves.

"Lance, you can't be mad bec–," Keith shot back accusingly, but shut himself up the moment he saw Lance's expression.

Of course Lance wasn't mad at Keith. He was frustrated, upset, scared, sorrowful; all too many emotions at once. He was broken. His insides slowly cracked; a fissure becoming into gap, in turn widening into a crevasse, splitting his feelings in half. Lance stared at his best friend. He bit his lower lip and clenched his fists. He felt so bad for Keith. He was the only person the boy had left, so why was he leaving him?

Keith opened his arms and Lance immediately ran towards the invitation. Their bodies collided with a muffled "thump". Their chests connected with fervor and their arms linked around each other on instinct. Keith wrapped his arms tightly and protectively around Lance.

"We'll meet again, okay?" Keith murmured, nuzzling his lips on Lance's lowered head. "I have Carmen's number, I'll call once I'm with my new family. We'll try and arrange a play date one time, alright?"

Lance nodded and rubbed his puffy eyes.

"Keith... If... When we meet again, and we're like, twenty-five years old and we haven't met our soulmates yet," began Lance, sniffing and wiping his nose with the back of his hand. "Promise you'll marry me?" he inquired softly, barely above a whisper. His eyes were glassy and his voice was hoarse. He kept his fingers tangled in Keith's shirt and his timid gaze remained on the curled up digits.

Keith's face heated up. His heart banged in his chest and he wanted to push Lance away, afraid the brunet would notice his reaction. He couldn't hold back the smile gradually growing on his face. He buried his red face in the crook Lance's neck.

"I promise," he affirmed in a whisper. He glued his forehead against Lance's. He was obligated to stand on his toes despite the two being the same age. The Latino had always been lean and tall. He had never minded though.

"You broke your last promise though," reminded Lance, grumpy. "You're breaking it right now." His lips were pouted and his eyes concentrated on his shoes. His eyebrows connected, completely crinkling his glabella.

"I have no control over what happened," retorted the raven-haired boy. He raised his chin and crunched his face in frustration. Lance saw the anguish in his dark irises. He instantly regretted his words. His hand laid flat against Keith's chest and he bent over so his temple was over the boy's collar bone.

"I'm sorry... I know..."

Keith sighed and muttered under his breath. He walked to one of the kitchen drawers, and took two papers and a pen, scribbling down some sentences in a rush. Lance approached and tried to peek over his friend's shoulder. Before he could spy on the paper, he was handed one of the sheets.

"Here," stated Keith, his cheeks glowing and heart racing. Lance took the paper confused and was about to read it but he was interrupted.

"Keith, darling, it's time," announced Carmen. "The social worker is waiting outside. You'll need to hurry, it takes a while to get to the orphanage. Everything's already in the car."

"Right," acquiesced the boy. He nodded showing his understanding and Carmen left the room once again, waiting at the front door. Keith glanced at a teary-eyed Lance.

"Well... It's now or never," he thought to himself. Keith walked up to Lance and took his collar with two fists pulling him down. He quickly pecked his lips and whispered a soft "See you again".

Keith turned around without seeing Lance's flabbergasted expression. He left the house in a rush, not wanting to break down in tears.

Lance didn't move until the sound of a slamming car door and an engine roaring to life pierced his ears. He panicked and turned to the window facing the driveway. He hurried to the windowsill and mounted it. He felt the paper in his hand crumple up which reminded him he had it in his possession. The brunet looked down at the note. He unfolded it and quickly read what was written.

"If by the age of 25 we haven't found our soulmates yet, I promise I'll marry you <3 you're my best friend forever and I love you."

He jerked his head up to see the car slowly pull out of the driveway. In the back seat Keith was resting his head against the dark glass. He stared gloomily out and met Lance's gaze. He smiled softly and unsure, waving his hand with sorrow. Lance let the tears roll down his scrunched up face. He slowly raised his hand. His fingers stretched and he motioned his arm and wrist. His lips forced their way up to mirror the unsure smile Keith had given him. He watched as the car drove further away. Once it steered to the right into another street, Lance lowered his limb and flattened his palm against the cool window. He pressed his forehead against it as well, and his drops of solitude rolled freely onto the wooden board surrounding the glass.

The brunet brought the note closer to his face and read it once more. He wiped his eyes with his shirt before his mother could come in. He darted through the kitchen, just barely avoiding her, to lock himself in his room. He unfolded the paper and pressed against the wrinkles. He opened his desk's top drawer and left the promise there. He closed it, looking at the words one last time before they were confined.

Little did Lance know, from the moment Keith left his life, things would change drastically.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Made for you by Alexander Cardinale


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life likes to shit on people, it's an ass. But hey, why not be a dick and fuck it up, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of the stars by Ed Sheeran

A tall man, with skin resembling the sweet colour of caramel, and with eyes the bright hue of blue like the waves of the ocean, stood in front of his opened window. The chilly autumn air grazed his skin, and picked up his hair for a dance. Lance looked up at the sky, sighing deeply.

"It's just another night, and I'm staring at the moon," he murmured the melody softly to himself. He contemplated the moon and the twinkling evening stars.

"I saw a shooting star and thought of you," the brunet sang louder, and closed his eyes inhaling the fresh air. 

"I sang a lullaby, by the waterside and knew." He opened his eyes, and focused on the moon. It was still rising, slowly separating from the horizon. "If you were here I'd sing to you. You're on the side as the skyline splits in two." He felt his eyes sting, as his vision blurred. 

"Miles away from seeing you. I can see the stars from America. I wonder do you see them too? So open–" A tear slipped out as his voice broke. 

Singing a love song in his situation was just pouring salt onto an open wound. Lance felt truly pathetic. He was a twenty-six year old man going on different dates, from dating sites or people he met, with the speck of hope that he would meet his soulmate quicker. But he was always disappointed in the end. He had started wondering if it was really worth it, the heartbreaks and all. The sharp gash widening in his chest every time he saw people happy together was making it harder to face his own loneliness. He tried dating many people despite knowing they weren't meant to be, but he longed for his tattoo to be completed. He thought being with anyone would complete him. However, his dates never took things as seriously as he did. He wanted things to last, maybe; and they just wanted something to pass time until their fated ones were found.

Lance glanced down at his left wrist; a heart-shaped constellation placed upon it, like always. But there was something missing. 

He had met this guy named Lotor not too long ago. He was nice. He had felt a certain connection with the man. But when Lance had come back home from their first date a week ago and looked down at his wrist—a routine he had built up after the numerous rendezvous—he had set his hopes up too high once again. It was the same boring heart.

"Lance?" He noticed the broad silhouette behind him only after his friend spoke to him. It was Hunk, one of his flatmates. 

"Hm?" he hummed in response, quickly sponging his tears with his sleeve.

"It's already a quarter to seven. And uhh, I thought I heard a sob..."

Lance noticed the uneasiness playing on Hunk's face when he mentioned it was time for his date. He had admitted to Lance before that he thought something was off about Lotor. Lance didn't think much of it. Even though they weren't soulmates, they had something between them, he was persuaded.

Hunk scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. Lance noticed the crystal piercing the ground—Hunk's completed tattoo—covering his right wrist. His eyes narrowed in sadness. Hunk had already met his soulmate, Shay, when they were both sixteen. They've been together ever since. The wide-shouldered brunet would soon move out, and live together with Shay. Lance feared losing people. It created a horrible wormhole in his chest, eating him up from the inside. It was something he had since a child. He bit his tongue trying to hold back whatever he wanted to spout out. It wasn't his friends fault, not at all. It was their right after all, to be with their loved ones. He just couldn't help feeling forgotten by the universe. Where was his soulmate? 

"I should go, thanks for reminding me," Lance announced and pushed past his well-built friend. 

"Be safe!" Hunk called after him while closing the window. Lance rolled his eyes and snatched his coat, rushing out of their house. He took his car and drove through the dark streets lit by the city lights. His date was at a small Italian restaurant. It was their second time going out together so he wanted it to be classy but not overdo it. The little family business was just perfect for that. It was cozy but elegant, and reasonably priced.

Entering the building, he scanned the room looking for his partner. Lotor wasn't there yet so he was seated at a table for two and waited. As he sat down he fumbled with his sleeves and glanced around. There weren't a lot of people, but most of them were couples. Probably all soulmates.

Lance felt a pang in his chest. He tried to blink back the tears. He couldn't cry, he was on a date with someone he liked. Well, the date hadn't really started since Lotor wasn't there yet, but he was still on a date—a traditionally joyous event—so he couldn't cry. He looked at the fancy clock on the wall. Lotor was five minutes late. The Cuban picked up the fork and twirled it around his slim fingers as a distraction.

Lance noticed the restaurant slowly packing up as groups entered. After a while he took out his phone and texted Lotor. The message had been seen, but not responded to. He frowned at his device. Hunk was right, he thought, recalling the brunet's warnings. He sighed and placed his phone on the table. 

Should I wait? Maybe he's driving and can't reply. Maybe he'll still come, he reasoned in his mind.

A waitress in a white shirt and black trousers came up to Lance. "Sir, my apologies, but is your companion coming or not? If you want you can wait a little longer, but I will have to move you to another table if you don't mind, until they arrive."

"Uhh, sure," mumbled Lance, observing the chatting customers filling the room. "Of course not." He got up and followed the brunette. She lead him to a table somewhere in the front. There was a black-haired man already seated. He was leaning on the palm of his hand, his expression clearly annoyed. Lance wanted to ask the waitress where to sit but she had already disappeared to tend to the huge group of people who were waiting for a table. Probably a party. Lance sighed and took the chair in front of the scowling man. 

The latter looked up at the shuffling noise and glared at Lance. His murderous look turned into a curious one. Both of the men stiffened when they made eye contact. There was something about those black—no—dark violet eyes that triggered something in the back of Lance's mind. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. His heart thumped loudly in his chest, his rib cage holding back the beast that was about to escape. The man was stunningly beautiful. Lance held his breath, his eyes trailing over the other's features. Even though he was on a "date", Lotor and him weren't official, so he could gawk all he wanted, right?

The man had a few light freckles on his pale face. His eyes dark but with blinding specks of light in them as well. He had thick untrimmed eyebrows. His dark hair fell on his forehead and a mullet covered back of his neck. He seemed fit, at least the way his shirt tightened around his arms and chest suggested he was. He was clearly shorter than Lance since even while sitting the brunet had to lower his gaze. The handsomeness of the black-haired man fumbled with his brains. Without noticing, Lance used his flirtatious skills out of reflex.

"Do you have a name, or can I call you mine?" he found himself blurting out. He flashed a bright smile but on the inside he wondered why he said that so suddenly, after all he was supposed to be on a date with another guy, so watching was where it should have stopped.

The pale cheeks of the other man were dusted red as his eyes widened. Lance then remembered he needed to be careful while courting men. Unlike the ladies, their reactions could tend to be aggressive right off the hook. However this one didn't say anything but simply glanced to the side averting his eyes.

It was silent for a while. Lance leaned back awkwardly and looked through the window. Raindrops began falling down, splattering on the concrete ground. Cars cars sped by, their headlights projecting a blinding light in the foggy streets. 

"So, you got stood up too?" asked the raven-haired man, finally breaking the silence and choosing to ignore the previous flirt attempt. Lance flinched. Something about the man's voice was alluring to him. It was the first time he heard it but the sound was most pleasing. He didn't know what it was or why it felt that way.

Lance nodded shamefully. "Yeah... But he wasn't my soulmate anyway," he confessed, unconsciously leaning in. He stared at the man's face, slowly being drawn in more. It was like there was an invisible connection tugging on his chest to make him close the space between them. Lance presumed gravity had forgotten which way to pull.

"I didn't even want to come to this stupid thing," the man sighed, undeniably frustrated. Lance gave him a confused and questioning look. The man laid his crossed arms on the table and hung his head. "My stepbrother arranged this for me, saying I had to at least try dating." He rolled his eyes at the mention of his stepbrother. "But surprise surprise, my date isn't here." 

Lance was intrigued. He wanted to know why his stepbrother wanted him to have a date. He wanted to know about his family, about his career. He wanted to know everything about the man. But most importantly, he wanted to know who the hell would ever stand that guy up.

"What about you, huh? Why did your date not show up?" he asked Lance, looking up from the table. 

"It's just a stupid second date," answered Lance dismissively. "Guess the bastard didn't want to waste his time."

"Didn't you say he wasn't your soulmate?" the raven-haired man asked, one eyebrow raised. 

"Yeah... I just tend to have more dates with people who really interest me," Lance admitted.

"So you're interested in jerks?" the pale man snorted sarcastically. He glanced out the window. He had been acting irritated from the start which Lance found very rude. His competitive and snarky side surfaced and he scowled.

"I don't think so, I'm not interested in you," Lance snapped back. "If that's what you meant." Mullet-man flinched and glared again. The brunet smirked victoriously.

"Excuse me?" he glowered. 

"You're excused," Lance scoffed back, his eyebrows furrowing. 

"I feel bad for your soulmate. Who would even want you? You're so pitiful,'' he growled and stood up, the chair screeching back. 

Lance gasped and stood up in a hurry. "Well I'm so happy I'm not yours, you're an ass!" Lance stated loudly. The entire restaurant's attention turned to them.

"Fine with me! I don't care what you think. My soulmate's probably the best on this planet and so much better than your shitty ass," the tempered man grumbled and took his coat, walking out. 

Lance followed him. "Whatever!" he retorted. 

The steaming stranger wanted to have the last word. "Great!" he declared.

"Good!" retaliated Lance. He trailed behind him until they were outside in the pouring rain. Both men stood on the sidewalk, blinking rapidly to avoid the rain from getting in their eyes. Their damp clothes stuck to their bodies. Lance loved the rain, adored it even, so he didn't mind. But the soaking weather just made the short man more bitter. He glared one more time at Lance, before walking in the opposite direction than the Cuban was heading. 

The rain fell down mercilessly, drenching Lance from head to toe. He got in his car and slammed the door closed. He groaned in frustration and hit his head on the steering wheel. He looked in his rear view, seeing that the stranger got on his motorcycle. Lance's eyes narrowed as he scoffed once again before turning his keys, making the engine of his blue car roar to life. He heard the engine of the motorbike and glanced through his wing mirror. It drove by at an incredible speed. Lance noticed the motorcycle was a red shade, almost like fire, blasting through the street. He secretly wished the guy would slip and crash down the street.

He shook his head, and buckled up, slowly pulling out of the parking at the sides of the narrow street. He sighed, and drove home. He turned up the volume of the radio, searching for a distraction, and the host spoke in a hushed but gripping voice. 

"–ladies and gentlemen, for those of you who haven't found their soulmate yet, this one's for you. Don't you worry, someone has also been made for you," she spoke, as a song started in the background.

"Never did believe, in what I couldn't see."

It was still in Lance's car. There was the soft melody of the rain clattering on the hood and roof of his car, the repetitive swiping sounds of his windshield wipers against the wet glass, and the radio bringing life to the small enclosure.

"Long before I knew, darling I was made for you."

Lance stopped at a red light, glancing at a couple who ran through the rain hand in hand, trying to find shelter. A loud roar of thunder could be heard throughout the city, and a flash of lightening pierced through the sky. 

"There's not much that I know, been searching high and low."

The light turned green, and Lance carefully drove further.

"With your smile illuminating, save my heart that needed saving, no way I could be mistaken."

Lance breathed in, and out slowly, the words of that mysterious man ringing in his ears, over and over again.

"Darling I was made for you."

Lance gritted his teeth and turned the volume down, and the music disappeared. He drove in silence, listening to the sky crying, and wishing his own emotions would wash away with the rain. He pulled up in the driveway, beside the other two cars. He got out and entered the house. Pidge was on their laptop, curled up on the single armchair, and Hunk and Shay were cuddled up on the huge L-couch. They all looked up at Lance when he came in. He smacked the door closed and threw his coat onto the hanger, his shoes kicked off to somewhere, but he didn't care. He was done. Officially the last date he'd ever go on.

Lance said nothing, and walked to the stairs, passing the sofa. He muttered while passing Hunk, "You were right about Lotor." Not saying anything else he walked up the stairs towards his room. Opening his door, he walked into the empty room, and closed the door with a loud bang. 

He let himself fall freely stomach down onto his bed, his face buried in his pillow. He groaned and turned his head so his nose could at least inhale some air. His eyes wandered around his room and out of habit, he raised his arm and glanced at his tattoo. His wrist had been aching the whole evening. 

Lance didn't expect what he saw though. He shot up and took his trembling wrist, trying to hold it still. He squeezed his tanned skin tight as if to see if it was a dream. But it wasn't, it was real.

His once lonely constellation of a single heart, was now transfixed with another constellation of an arrow. A pierced heart. But who did the arrow belong to? Lance was lacking air to breathe, or he wasn't breathing at all. He couldn't tell the difference. His eyes scanned his wrist over and over again until he started feeling dizzy.

The brunet closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He opened them, and it was still there. He didn't know who his soulmate was. This was not how he had dreamt it would go. And for some reason, he felt almost... empty. He wasn't satisfied by the course of events. 

He trailed his finger over the arrow softly. A smile found its way onto his lips. "At least it's a cool tattoo," he muttered to himself. 

A juvenile voice rang through Lance's mind. He had heard it before, and something in the back of his chest fluttered each time it drifted through his thoughts. But he never figured out what it was, who's voice it was, or why it was calling out to him. Lance closed his eyes, thinking about his childhood which had become a mystery to him. As clumsy as he had always been, at eleven years old he had fallen and had hit his head on a rock. The concussion had caused some minor memory loss especially of recent events. The doctors had said it wasn't serious and that throughout the years he should recover every single souvenir.

Behind his eyelids Lance saw a blurred face. He could hear a drained out name, a lost voice. In the back of his mind there was a blank space, something was there but at the same time wasn't. 

He knew there was this kid, his best friend apparently. From what his mother told him, the boy had moved away when they were ten, but Lance just couldn't remember his face or his name. He didn't bother asking his mother about him either. She believed he at least remembered his name and didn't talk about the subject too often, afraid it would hurt her son. So it was all vague. Like a memory we have as a child but the only thing we remember are the pictures of that event, not the event in itself. So all the memories Lance had about that kid were actually the scarce stories his mother would tell him, not the actual experiences. And it saddens Lance constantly. It seemed like they had had a really strong bond, from what he was told. He believed it was a shame to not even remember someone who had once brought him so much happiness. 

Lance opened his eyes. He decided he couldn't sleep with all these thoughts roaming in his mind. Maybe distracting himself would get him to sleep. He opened the drawer of his nightstand, taking out his journal—he had been through many adventures since high school, and he adored all those moments dearly so he kept track of them in a notebook. Scanning over old memories forced him to look back onto his past, and he hoped that one day it would help him recall his childhood friend. Lance went to the last page of the folder. There was a small note behind the plastic holder. He carefully slipped it out and opened the wrinkled paper. He smiled, reading the sloppy handwriting, which was still better than own to this day.

"If by the age of 25 we haven't found our soulmates yet, I promise I'll marry you <3 you're my best friend forever and I love you."

Lance couldn't recall anything other than a clouded figure. He read the words with his own voice since he could not find a record of the sound and associate it with anyone.

He may have forgotten the person, but he did remember the feelings swirling inside his chest when he was with his friend. The way his stomach churned, turned and twisted, and the way his lips automatically lifted up into a small, genuine smile. He could sometimes feel those giddy affections just thinking about it. Though his mind had forgotten all about his childhood, his heart and body had not.

"I'm twenty-six, you can come out of your hiding spot now. Even though it doesn't matter anymore. I've already found my soulmate. Maybe I'll marry them, if I ever meet them again... and it'll be too late for... 'us'... I wonder if I'd still wish you were my soulmate instead... mystery kid," burbled the brunet as he put the paper back, locking everything up in his drawer. He let himself fall back onto his bed. 

He glanced down at his drumming wrist, and contemplated the heart constellation now pierced with an arrow. Lance looked through his window (thank goodness Hunk had closed it after Lance had left). His soulmate was actually out there, alive, and breathing. And he had met them. Even though he was disappointed due to the circumstances, he was somewhat relieved to know his soulmate wasn't that far away.

"Lance?" asked Pidge opening the door slowly, Hunk and Shay tailing behind.

"Lance, buddy? Hey?" Hunk came closer to the distressed Cuban. "Is something the matter? Other than your failed date of course..."

"My wrist..." Lance mumbled. Hunk's eyes widened as he grabbed Lance's forearm and studied the tattoo carefully. Pidge and Shay joined in, and both smiled.

"You don't know who it is though, do you?" sighed Hunk, and stared at Lance with empathy. 

"Nope," he replied. "I met at least two people who are maybe..." He had never expected to meet his soulmate that way. Who was his soulmate? He didn't even know. He hadn't noticed a particular spark, or attraction, or anything people described when meeting their soulmate. He had been too busy thinking about Lotor and drooling over the rude guy.

"You need to have at least talked to them," stated Pidge crawling on Lance's bed and patting his shoulder. 

"Two," Lance repeated. He had only spoken to two people. "A waitress and a jerk."

"Wait, what about Lotor?" Pidge asked in confusion. 

"He stood me up, and this waitress put me at a table with a distasteful person," Lance spat out, visualizing those stupid violet eyes, and that moronic mullet, and that ludicrous, sarcastic laugh. 

"We'll go to the restaurant and ask for the waitress, alright? It should still be open. And hopefully the waitress is still there," declared Hunk, sitting on Lance's other side. 

"Everything is ruined," groaned Lance. "My perfect meeting with my perfect person was sabotaged. Why me? Why, karma?"

Hunk sighed and gave his best friend a hug. "I'm sure she didn't even notice her tattoo since she was working, you two will both be able to relive your meeting, acting as if nothing had happened before," comforted the big teddy bear.

"At least we know Lotor's true nature now," concluded Pidge with a snort. 

Lance chuckled through the forming tears. He wiped his red, puffy eyes. "Yeah... I guess so," he breathed out. Thankfully he had his friends. They were the best.

"Well I technically knew from the beginning but..." trailed Hunk shrugging and eyeing the ceiling. Pidge sniggered and Lance playfully punched his tanned friend in the ribs. They all burst laughing together and embraced each other. Shay watched from the door frame with a kind gaze.

"Come on guys, if you keep him cooped up in your family hug he won't be able to see his soulmate," warned Shay while knocking on the door. The three buddies sprung up and rushed past her, Hunk not forgetting to give her a goodbye kiss. They stomped down the stairs and all got into Lance's blue vehicle.

_____________________

 

"I'm sorry, but no... See, this is my tattoo. I'm terribly sorry for the misunderstanding," the cute girl apologized, showing her wrist to Lance. 

He smiled sadly. "It's okay, now I know who it is. Thanks though, have a nice evening," responded Lance and they both said their goodbye's. He exited the restaurant to be met by Pidge and Hunk, taking refuge under a large umbrella. Lance shook his head, giving them a pathetic excuse of a smile. Hunk slumped his shoulders, he had sort of anticipated the reaction of his friend upon learning the waitress wasn't his soulmate.

"I take it it wasn't her," he still asked to make sure. Lance shook his head with a frown.

"But it can't be him! He's... he's so despicable and mean. He in no way completes me or would ever make me a better person. He's just a jerk. I must have bumped into someone at the restaurant," ranted the brunet while turning back to the door denying everything.

Pidge grabbed his arm and pulled him back. The short friend gave him an apologetic smile. "Due to my disinterest in romantic relationships and feelings I can't help you with that aspect of your relationship, but I can still advise you. Maybe that dick isn't your soulmate, fine. But what if he is? Then he is for a reason that you probably haven't find out yet especially since you've only met five minutes. Soulmates are a complicated thing. No one really understands the whole deal. We just know we are happiest with our destined person. Maybe for now you hate him, but maybe later on you'll love him," they explained, staring seriously into his eyes. 

Lance calmed down and relaxed his shoulders. He looked at Pidge then at Hunk, who was grinning supportively. His friends were probably right. It was an upsetting evening, they were both annoyed upon meeting. It was only expected from both of them to act so bitter right off the bat.

"I don't care. That ass can not be my soulmate. He's too unrefined. Forget it. Plus I'll probably never see him again, thankfully."

Pidge groaned and held their forehead. Hunk chuckled, uneasy. He patted Lance's shoulder and pushed him away from the restaurant.

"Don't be so sure. This isn't the world's biggest city you know, your paths will cross eventually. But I realize this must suck for you so, sorry," he argued. "Also, Allura somehow got the news, did you tell her? She just called and asked to meet up at the flower shop." Hunk gave his friend an extra umbrella. 

"What?" Lance took the umbrella and opened it. "No... I was too busy thinking about who it was. Did you?"

Hunk and Pidge both responded by shaking their heads. They had started walking. The rain had calmed down, but it was still frizzling. Some thunder clapped in the distance.

"Then how does she know?" inquired Lance, relatively calm about the whole situation.

"I don't know buddy, we'll know soon enough I guess," replied Hunk. 

"Besides, girl knows everything on this planet. Almost as if she has mice running around for her," added Pidge. The two boys agreed in silence.

Lance worked in the flower shop where they were asked to go to—in spite of the bizarre hour—which was also owned by Allura. Pidge had met Coran, Allura's uncle, at their university. They all got introduced and became good friends. Lance had dropped out to become a florist with the beautiful woman. At first he had mostly done it to flirt with her but with time he only considered her an older sister. Besides, she had already found her soulmate and was determined to stay with him. 

The trio finally arrived and entered the cozy boutique. Inside there was a tall, muscular, and handsome guy. It was Allura's boyfriend ergo soulmate, Takashi—but everyone just nicknames him Shiro.

"–and then started screaming when he noticed. Like, he broke a lamp and threw pillows around. From what he told me they're both at fault but he doesn't want to acknowledge that, he blames the other guy... I don't know what to do with him. He says he wants to beat the crap out of the guy and kiss him at the same time. Probably the mate-pull, but still. He's short-tempered so he works himself up all the time and–oh lord, Allura help me with this boy," sighed Shiro, his voice was low and strong, and he was clearly in need of a break. The three stood still, not wanting to interrupt the conversation.

"Well, I mean, it isn't a nice way to meet your soulmate, but–ah guys! Thank the space-lords, you came!" Allura ushered away from her boyfriend who turned around to see the group.

"So... who's your soulmate?" Allura flashed Lance a huge grin. 

"Uhh yeah, how do you know about that?" asked Lance. He looked at Shiro warily. They weren't very close at all. He occasionally stopped by the shop so those were the only times they saw each other. He and Allura weren't together for a very long time so Lance didn't consider him as close a friend as the rest. 

"That's for me to know and for you to find out," she giggled with her British accent perking up. Her was voice soft and gentle, and her laugh chiming.

"What? What do y–" Lance began, but stopped when Allura took his wrist and examined the tattoo. She knitted her eyebrows together and puckered her lips, deep in thought. 

"Shiro," she stated. As on cue he treaded forward. "Is it..?" Allura trailed off, stepping to the side. Shiro glanced at Lance's left wrist. Allura tightened her grip as Lance tried to pull away. Fear washed over Lance, as he looked at the glare on Shiro's face.

"Well, it is indeed," he chuckled, leaning back and crossing his arms. "So, you and your soulmate got off on the wrong foot, I suppose," muttered Shiro more to himself than to Lance. The brunet frowned deeply, this was too strange. 

"Alright, let go now please," Lance snapped and snatched his arm away. He retreated, becoming suspicious and slightly afraid of the two. 

How did they even know? Why did they act so surprised seeing my tattoo? What the hell is going on? he thought. 

Hunk and Pidge sent him worried glances. Lance's eyes fell on the matching tattoos on Allura's and Shiro's wrists. The same vile liquids of jealousy boiled inside him as they had before. This time he was sick and tired of it all. The pot spewed out and overflowed with the unpleasant, green substance. His thoughts were getting clouded by the taunting fog. He was about to overflow externally too. So he ran.

"Lance!" Pidge cried out, chasing after Lance. But fortunately for him, he had longer legs and he easily escaped. Pidge stepped back inside the shop, their shoes and hair soaked. 

"You okay?" asked Hunk and they grimly nodded. He turned to the couple who were whispering to themselves. "What is going on?" 

"I promise I'll explain but this is important. Where does Lance usually go when he's under pressure or depressed?" she questioned the duo.

Hunk looked from Allura to Pidge with a perplexed expression. They shrugged, just as lost. With a long sigh Hunk acquiesced and discerned their friend's ritual when upset.

_____________________

 

The black-haired man from earlier's dinner was walking alone on the beach boardwalk. He grumbled angrily to himself the whole way while keeping his head down. His stepbrother had just come home and immediately went all "I'm the older brother, you need to listen to me" on him. He hated when he was ordered around and as a result rarely listened. Yet this time he found himself walking on the stupid beach, in the rain, in the middle of the night. He huffed, crossing his arms and kicking a pile of sand. 

"'Go on a walk,' he said. 'Calm yourself down,' he said. 'Stop pacing around,' he said," the angered man mimicked in a high-pitched voice. He was clearly irritated and was muttering to himself like a madman.

It was around ten o' clock by now. The sun was long gone and the moon was out, shining brightly and proudly.

"At least no one's gonna be here to bother me," he stated out loud while observing the beautiful reflection of the moon on the waves. That's when he noticed a silhouette in the ocean.

"What the hell is that idiot doing?" he growled and narrowed his eyes. It was hard to see in the night and through the rain but the moon offered enough light for him to affirm it was a surfer.

"What kind of idiot goes surfing this late? What the heck? And in the rain, really?"

The person was swimming back to the shore, the closer they got, the more obvious it was a man. 

The irked passerby started walking away. "Why do I care anyway?" he muttered, furrowing his hands in his pockets. The air was getting cooler and his fingers were aching. Then he heard someone call out to him. He turned around and saw the surfer running up to him.

"H-Hey, I'm really sorry to bother you but could you help me? The zipper, it's stuck..." the crazy civilian pleaded while turning around. The rain was gradually stopping which made it easier to see. The man blankly looked at the other's broad back. Rolling his eyes with a huff, he approached and fumbled with the lodged zipper until it came undone. He pulled it down so it would be easier to take the suit off. 

"Thanks," the other said while turning back to face his savior. The raven-haired man brushed his fingers through his damp hair to get some of the long, bothersome strands out of his face. His drenched jacket stuck to his skin and the sleeve plastered itself on his forearm, the rim just barely under his wrist. Suddenly the stranger grasped his wrist while it was still raised.

"What in the world do you think you're doi–" he snapped, but stopped as he noticed what the man was doing. He was holding his left wrist next to his right one. "Well fuck," he cursed in conclusion. He raised his attention to see the man's face and recognized it instantly.

The not-so-stranger looked up, connecting their visions. The blue eyes came back into the man's mind. 

"So, it's you," Lance said.

"How ironic. I insult your soulmate who turns out to be me," the short man gritted his teeth. "Just my goddamn luck." He tried pulling away from the brunet's grasp but it only tightened.

"Wait, look. We're soulmates, and, I mean, uhh... Even though we got off on a wrong foot we could maybe at least... try?"

"Why would I do such a thing? You yourself said you weren't interested in going out with your soulmate. Well neither am I."

"B-but... I can't help it if you of all people are the person I'm fated to be with." The man narrowed his dark eyes. "The thing is, shouldn't we at least give this soulmate thing a shot? I mean... You're my soulmate for a reason, even though for now I have no idea why I would ever be with someone like you. Soulmates are a complicated thing. No one really understands it all. We just know we are happiest with our fated person. Maybe for now we hate each other, but maybe later on we'll manage to stand each other?" Lance declared, quoting what Pidge had told him earlier. "So let's get to know each other. There's a fair on the pier for the weekend. It's open pretty late too. Wanna go there? You can maybe shoot things if you're angry," proposed the latino, a hopeful smile displayed on his lips.

The black-haired man glanced around, and sighed in defeat. "Fine. But you're still an ass," he said, but with a playful tone. 

Lance smiled brighter than before. "And you're still a jerk."

"Fair enough," he laughed, and Lance froze. That laugh sounded awfully familiar in the back of his head. The mullet, the freckles, all of it, but... he just couldn't lay all the pieces on the table. There was one fragment missing; the puzzle wasn't complete. 

"Let me get dressed first though," Lance chuckled, coming back to earth. His suit was getting scratchy from the salt water and he was beginning to feel chilly. They both walked to the little shacks where the brunet had hidden his stuff, returning the surfboard to another shed.

Once dressed and all the cabins locked up, the two started walking to the pier. 

"Why were you surfing so late in the evening? And in the rain too," asked the man, his curiosity getting the best of him.

"Oh, um... I surf when I'm stressed. And I adore the ocean, and the stars and all... So it's a perfect combination, laying on the surfboard on the waves, looking up at the stars. It's amazing," responded Lance. His eyes held a happy glow as he described the view and the feeling. Despite the previous events that evening, they managed to talk with a certain ease. They erased the whole blowing up scenes, fast forwarded to where they were now, paused, and then let the events play as if nothing had happened.

"What were you doing here so late? You don't really seem like the kind to like the ocean."

"Ah, well... My stepbrother forced me. He was angering me more than I already was so it was best for me to come out here anyway."

Lance put one and one together, and his eyes widened. "His name isn't Shiro, is it?"

The fair-skinned man stopped walking and Lance did too when he noticed. He looked confused, afraid, and angry.

"How the he–?"

"–You broke some plates and wanted to beat the crap out of me?" pursued Lance, crossing his arms. The man opened his mouth about to say something, but nothing came out. "And at the same time you wanted to kiss me?" concluded Lance with his signature smirk.

"How–? Did you stalk me?" the man practically screeched, his voice going a few octaves higher. He stepped back and watched the brunet with slight disgust. Lance straightened up and waved his arms over his head, crossing them in front of his face.

"What? No! Of course not, ew, I'm not a stalker," he clarified peeking through the x his arms formed. 

"...Then you know Shiro?"

"Well yes and no. I mean, he's my boss' soulmate, so I guess I know him. But I'm not very close to him. I work in Allura's flower shop."

The two started walking in an awkward silence again. Lance felt their hands graze against each other. His fingers twitched discreetly and he clenched them into a fist. 

"Uh... I'm sorry about the restaurant," he coughed awkwardly. They arrived at the fun fair which was much brighter and louder from up close. 

"It's okay, I'm sorry too. I was just frustrated and, I'm pretty quick to anger and... you know... Things get heated up rapidly..."

"I noticed," Lance laughed. They both walked through the small festival. There weren't a lot of people, probably because it rained so much. Just a few couples or some group of teenagers.

"Wanna go on the ferris wheel?" invited Lance. He was responded with a nonchalant shrug. They strolled all the way to the end of the pier ignoring the other attractions leaving those for later. They both got in line once under the impressive machine. It wasn't a very long queue, actually there was no queue at all. They mounted in one of the cabins and sat opposite of each other. It was silent. The only sounds were the waves, the people, and some music from the shooting stalls.

Lance glanced at the man in front of him, his soulmate, the one he had longed for his whole life. But there was something missing, something important... Even though he was his soulmate, his soul didn't feel as complete as he had hoped it would be.

There was a hard stop, and the cabin swayed back and forth. It didn't bother Lance because he knew the ferris wheel usually stopped to give the passengers a nice view of the beach, however his date was slightly panicked as he clutched onto his seat. He flinched when a voice emitted from a speaker in the corner of the cabin.

"Attention passengers. We're sorry for the inconvenience, but we have a system malfunction. Please remain calm and do not panic. We're already working on it. Stay seated the whole time. Thank you."

"Are we stuck?" Lance asked in shock. 

"No shit Sherlock."

"Dude why do you have to be so rude?"

"I have reasons that are none of your goddamn business," the short man snapped back. His hostile character came back for some reason. This guy was a real rollercoaster of emotions.

"Man, look, I don't expect you to tell me your whole life story because we're soulmates. Nor do I expect you to trust me on the count of three. But can you at least try to give me a chance?" spat Lance feeling a brew of bitterness and pain.

"No." 

"Why?" questioned Lance, quieter. Being stuck on the ferris wheel was a problem long forgotten. Now all Lance wanted to know was why his soulmate wouldn't even attempt to get along with him.

"Look, I once trusted somebody and life shitted on us both. I'm done, I don't want to feel the same pain that I felt back then! That's why I don't go on dates. That's why I don't do... this."

Lance stayed silent. He stared at his soulmate. 

"Me too, you know," he eventually managed to whisper, and he looked down at his lap.

"W-What?" said the dark-haired man softy, aware that it was a sensitive subject by the way Lance had spoken.

"I once fell in love with somebody. They meant everything to me. But I can't even remember their face, nor their name, or anything. It's horrible. I know I loved them. I can remember the feelings. I still feel the butterflies in my stomach thinking about them, despite the figure having no face. And it's all just..."

Lance bit his lip and stopped speaking. He sighed running his fingers in his wet hair. He pressed his forehead against the large widow and stared out with glassy eyes. There was a heavy sigh opposite of him.

"Alright. I'll give you a chance. I'll give us a chance," he spoke softly, and carefully. "You know what? I'll even give you my number if we ever do get out of here. We can maybe go for something like this again."

Lance didn't reply, only smiled, pleased. There was a long silence for a while. He suddenly realised something.

"Dude," Lance groaned and facepalmed. 

"What?"

"I don't even know your name," Lance laughed. It was all so ridiculous the way their story was being written with so many loopholes and blanks, which hopefully would be filled in later.

"You're right, oh my god," the guy chortled. Lance almost shut down completely upon hearing that sound so enticing. His eyes travelled up and down, looking for something that would spark up a memory, a picture, just a hint of why this person was so...

"Keith. My name is Keith."

The name resonated in Lance's ears. It bounced off every edge of his mind, spinning wildly like a slot machine. Suddenly the reels slowly came to a stop with the same symbol on each disk and the screen flashed "JACKPOT" and the speakers blasted a relentless ring.

Keith. Keith... Keith? KEITH? Lance was internally repeating the name, until the coins spilled out the slot, flooding his mind with souvenirs.

"K-Keith..." The name rolled off his tongue with such nostalgia when he said it. "As in, Keith Kogane?" He didn't dare move a muscle. How could he ever forget the first love of his life? The one who had saved him and cared for him. His guardian angel. He felt so bad for letting that blessed part of his life slip away so easily. Now he had just a faint recollection of that person and it could maybe, just maybe, be the person in front of him. But there was also the possibility that they were two completely separate beings. Two people named Keith. A simple coincidence. Maybe it wasn't fate.

"How do you know my last name?" Keith questioned, his pupils dilating in surprise and curiosity. Lance inflated with hope. So it was fate; it was the same Keith. "How... Have we met before?" quizzed the raven-haired man, scared of the answer. If they had met before they would have noticed they were soulmates, right? The incomprehensible connection would have been felt way before their meeting at the restaurant, and their tattoos would have been completed.

"Lance," stated the brunet, confident, but at the same time he was on the verge of tears. What if Keith didn't remember him? All Lance wanted to do was hug Keith, smell his scent again, feel his skin against his own, sense his body warmth. It was more than just holding his soulmate, it was holding his love, that he needed.

Keith was deep in thought. He scanned the man's face and connected it to the name just revealed. His chest clenched. His eyes narrowed. His lips contracted. Lance watched him closely. Suddenly his eyes flooded with tears and Keith choked on a sob. Lance snapped out of his trance and saw tears pour onto his reddened cheeks. 

"McClain?" His whole tough, sassy, rebel personality disappeared for good. The foul mask fell to concede a soft and humane soul. Just like when they first met as children. 

"Yes..." Lance's own eyes stung again. 

"No..." Keith held his hand in front of his mouth, trying to swallow his sobs. "That's not... It can't... You can't..."

"K-Keith?" Lance just needed to confirm it, hear the name from his own lips. This was a dream coming true. Everything fell into place. All the indescribable feelings that had followed him into adulthood were finally associated to someone real and visible. The blurred out face was clear now. Those elongated, dark, mysterious eyes, those pale cheeks doused with pink and dotted with peach specks, those thin, snarky lips, that ridiculously attractive mullet, all created the image of Keith. The person he had been waiting for all along. His best friend. His crush. His soulmate. Was it really worth the wait? Oh definitely.

"Lance," sniveled Keith. The Latino opened his arms, and without hesitation the short man jumped into Lance's arms. He shifted so they sat beside each other, holding one another closer, tighter, almost like if they were to ever let go they would wake up and all this would blow away with the morning breeze. 

No gap was between their bodies. They were as close as possible. Their grips on each other were so strong, almost bone crushing. 

"Lance..." Keith kept repeating his name over and over. "I... I'm so stupid. How could I forget?I... I just... You're just such an ass now," he affirmed leaning back and observing the man in his arms. He received a light punch in the ribs which made him smile. His eyes desperately searched Lance's.

"Were you talking about me? Before?" muttered Lance nuzzling his face into the crook of Keith's neck. Oh how he had missed that place. It was unique. None of his previous lovers had the same domestic feeling that safe spot provided. 

"Yeah..." The words came out soft and slow. They were barely spoken louder than a whisper but with Lance in his special space he heard it perfectly. He felt Keith's breath graze his ear and his voice charm him. The dark-haired man sniffed and new tears ran down his face. How could he forget? How could he miss the fact that it was Lance? His Lance. He was so obsessed with the child he had known that he never raised his eyes to see the adult into which he had grown. 

"I guess you gotta marry me now," remarked Lance, pulling away reluctantly. He scanned Keith's puffy face. He had never been a pretty cryer, it was the only moment his face was actually ugly. He was crying big, salty tears, but nonetheless, he was smiling that smile Lance had fallen in love with when they were little. 

"I'll hold that promise. I told you we'd meet again, silly," chuckled Keith, using the juvenile insult he always had with the tall brunet. Lance's heart fluttered at the spoken words.

Suddenly the cabin started moving. The jolt shoved them closer, if that was possible. Their noses bumped, and lips neared merely a movement away. Their heavy breaths fanned each other's lips. They looked into each other's eyes but leisurely glanced at the alluring part of the other's face, begging them to seal the gap.

Lance remembered everything. Every missing puzzle piece linked together to form one big picture. The puzzle was complete, and so were their tattoos and their hearts. There was Lance's missing part.

"Hey?" susurrated the thin Cuban. They arrived at the highest point the ferris wheel could offer. The view over the ocean was supposed to be breathtaking, but Lance found Keith much more stupefying.

"Yeah?" responded Keith, his warm breath sending goosebumps all over Lance's skin. 

"I've always wished you were my soulmate when we were little. I was in love with you but I never had the guts to tell you..."

"I know, silly."

That line wandered in his mind until it collided with the very first memory Lance had of Keith. It was one of the first things that knucklehead had said to him. One of the first words which linked him with the buck wild kid. 

"You never called though. Even when you knew, you let me think I was alone. You let me believe you had forgotten me and you had met your soulmate," accused Lance. 

"I lost the paper with the number. And the orphanage didn't know how to reach out to you. More like didn't want to," added Keith. "But I still have our promise. I never went anywhere without it."

"So do I. It's never left my drawer," Lance smiled. A tear fell down and Keith wiped it away with his thumb, cupping Lance's jaw.

"And unlike you, I never forgot about you."

Lance tittered and playfully hit Keith's head. His hand laid flat on the soft hair. He buried his fingers in the still humid locks and pushed Keith toward him.

"It's funny, though. Just a few hours ago I was hoping with all my heart and soul you wouldn't be my soulmate. And when you turned out to be, I was cursing every god up there for making it so," confessed Keith with a giggle. Lance would be lying if he said it wasn't the cutest sound he had ever heard. "But look how everything turned out. I guess whoever's up there, or whoever created this soulmate system, just wanted to prove us wrong."

"And I'm glad they did."

The Latino grinned, and turned his head to the side a little. Keith did the same, and they both leaned in. Lance pressed just a little more on Keith's head so that it was closer to him. Their lips touched so innocently. They compressed against each other until their noses were poking the other's cheek. Their kiss was soft, gentle, and perfectly still. Their worlds met at the tip of their mouths and mashed into a starry galaxy. This kiss was much more satisfying than their first one. This one held so many more feelings. It wasn't rushed. It wasn't inexperienced. It was long and slow, and still somewhat unacquainted. 

They pulled back, eyes fluttering open. Lance stared into those captivating, violet irises. They held a content and requited glow. He could have sworn he saw some stars dancing in the dark purple nebula. Lance's eyes travelled over his features with awe.

"Oh my god, you really kept the mullet?" he snorted once realization struck him. It had been there the whole time but it was only then, when his fingers where entwined with the black strands, that he connected the dots. Keith rolled his eyes, but smiled. 

"Specially for you," he replied charmingly. "I like it. Please don't get rid of it," Keith mimicked in a higher voice. 

Lance guffawed hiding his face. It was like he was falling in love all over again. He took the time to look at where they were and where they had started. The gash in his chest was slowly mending itself with a newly found satisfaction and fulfillment.

"Holy shit, my childhood best friend is my soulmate," he gasped, awareness washing over him.

"Oh would you look at that, we are," smirked Keith, his face heating up. 

They faced the crashing waves as they slowly descended. The night sky glistened with glowing stars. Lance glanced down to his wrist which was also part of the sky, in a way. His and Keith's shared passion were the beauty of the unknown universe cradling them so fondly. What were the odds of them finding each other again? What were the chances they would turn up being soulmates?

In the end, the asters they admired became their story. Just like their tattoos, the events in their lives connected and joined each other to create one constellation. The stars did guide them home. Why home? 

Because "home is where the heart belongs" and their home was anywhere in the vast space, together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're so terribly sorry for the wait! Ahaha, busy life's, you know? This time I won't lie, the next update might take a while. 
> 
> Due to;  
> -The writer's (me) finals are coming up, so i won't have much time to write, and i need to have good grades to pass this year, but I promise, I'll do the best i can!  
> -The editors life is pretty busy (as for we're both in high-school), and for personal reasons (that i don't know i may name), she'll be tired and i won't pressure her to force herself,'nor push herself over her limits! 
> 
> •So please understand! ^-^', we try to work as fast as we can!
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed chapter two! It's pretty long, thank you editor, once again, amazing end result! 
> 
> Alrighty then, write to you next time!
> 
> (I noticed the sneaky puns, did you too?)
> 
> Word count: 8943


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Group activities are always fun! But Lance is a sore loser and Keith gets a little jealous~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honey whiskey by Nothing but Thieves

The feeling is familiar to a lot of people. There was just no logic to why your bed was so uncomfortable and hard when you were supposed to sleep, yet so agreeable and warm in the morning, making it impossible to get up. It's a paradox even the brightest scientists still fail to elude. Or perhaps they did, but Lance had no idea.

  The brunet groaned as the morning rays hit his face, making his pupils constrict slightly. He threw the cozy covers off of his body, and he sat up rubbing his eyes. His vision became clearer as he focused on his alarm clock. He had slept until 11 a.m. once again. He sighed loudly, annoyed with himself.

  Pulling himself out of bed, he went into his ensuite bathroom to get ready for the boring, empty day. Once he was sure he looked amazing as always, he took his phone from his nightstand. A smile crept onto his face, gradually tugging at his lips more and more. Lance's heart started beating with more fury as he read the text. 

  "Good morning dumdum. I hope you slept well. LY"

  Lance's stare softened and his smile grew. He himself couldn't describe how much he adored this boy, this boy he was so grateful to be able to call his.

  These texts weren't occasional, it was now their routine. Every morning, and every night. And Lance wouldn't miss it for the world because it made him smile, it made him happy, it made him ready for the day and for the upcoming days. 

  "Good morning pretty boy~ I hope you dreamed of me ;) have a nice day Mullet~ Love you more~"

  Lance replied, letting a smirk cover his face. He still couldn't believe that Keith was his, even after two months of being together. 

_______________________

 

  "Buenos días a todos," the Latino spoke while entering the open kitchen. 

Hunk was making him pancakes and gave him a warm smile. He was always the last up and the last to eat breakfast. Pidge and Shay were seated on the sofa and greeted him, then returned to probably doing silly stuff like gossiping. Shay had stayed last night because it was too dark out, and Hunk—being the caring and overprotective husband he was—forbade her to leave.

  Hunk was supposed to move out and live with Shay; he had been planning to for more than three months already. But the sweet man could never find the courage to pack and leave the comfort of his two best friends. Shay never minded, since she stayed over a lot anyway. Lance had thought that maybe Shay could move in with them. But then again, there was something called privacy too. So Lance would just enjoy what he had now, until Hunk moved out eventually.

  "So, any plans for today?" asked Hunk, the question adressed to everyone in the room. 

  "Mhm, nope," replied Pidge turning to the two men in the kitchen. 

  "No, sadly. It's such a boring Sunday," muttered Lance, taking a sip from his water bottle.

  "Maybe you could ask Keithy out, mhm?" Pidge had a smug look on their face as they proposed the idea to their tall friend. 

  "Don't call him that," mumbled Lance, letting the idea roam in his mind nonetheless. He did miss Keith, and he hadn't seen him the day before. 

  "C'mon, ask him. But I certainly don't want to hear you ranting about how perfect he is again, and how much you love him. If I need to hear you the whole day like yesterday, I think I'm gonna barf," groaned Pidge rolling their eyes and looking at Shay for help. The latter simply chuckled.

  "Fine, mom," taunted the Latino brunet. And suddenly his brain decided to be creative and cooperative, out of the blanc.

  "What about a group... date... thing?" Lance suggested. "Since nobody has anything productive to do anyway." He smiled proudly at his idea. 

  "Well, it has been a while since we did something together... I think we should totally do that," Hunk agreed.

  "Great! I'm in too. Wow, I can't believe you came up with something like that, so you do have a brain," snorted Pidge. Lance was about to shoot back a comment but Pidge interrupted him. "Go ask your boyfriend now Lance," they smirked shooing him with their hand. Lance rolled his eyes and went to find his phone.

  "Hey babe? Are you, Shiro, Allura, and Coran free today?"

  Lance sent the text, and walked into the open kitchen again, taking a seat at the table and eating his private pancakes peacefully. Hunk stayed at the kitchen table with his friend but listened to what the other two were saying in the living room. Shay was telling Pidge funny moments she had had with her husband. The latter was mortified by them. Young people did reckless things, so he shouldn't feel that embarrassed. 

  Lance's interest was dragged away from Shay as his phone buzzed beside him. 

  "Nope, why? Group activity?"

  Lance smiled once again, he just couldn't help himself. 

  "Guys?"

  All attention was directed on Lance. 

  "Should we meet up somewhere or..?" he trailed off, and looked up at the other three for an answer. 

  "Maybe at Allura's shop? We can decide what we'll do then?" Hunk suggested, the rest nodding in agreement.

  "Perhaps around one or something?" added Shay, glancing at the clock. 

  "Yes! Perfect," Lance grinned and typed the information to Keith.

  "Tell Keith I said 'hi'," piped in Pidge with a cheeky smile. 

  "Yeah, yeah, you gremlin," Lance burbled under his breath.

  "Yep, let's all meet up at Allura's flower shop, around one? We'll decide together what to do. <3 Oh, and Pidge says hi"

____________________

 

  The autumn breeze felt chilly against Lance's face. The fallen leaves were scattered around on the damp streets, the wind moving them with grace. The air around them felt heavy and warm, clouds hovering in the gloomy sky above them. Thank goodness the wind danced around them to make it easier to walk and breathe in the cumbersome atmosphere.

  The lean brunet and his two companions continued down the street to Allura's flower boutique. Hunk drove with his car, and would meet them at their destination. Lance had walked to Keith's place Friday after work, which was close to Allura's business, and Keith had brought him home. So Lance's car was still at the shop, and therefore they could use his as well if needed.

  Shay held a small conversation with Pidge on their way there, but Lance was far away, submerged deep in his own thoughts. 

  It felt dark and emotional, winter was coming. It wasn't too long, only a few days left. Lance was excited and couldn't wait to feel the snow—if they were lucky that year—, to hold warm mugs of chocolate, to be cuddled up with Keith in front of the fireplace, to kiss Keith to keep warm, and to let his soulmate's smile light the dark winter days. Christmas and seeing his family again in the holidays were also things he looked forward to. Even though he had seen them all a month ago, when he had introduced Keith to them, once more, he was always glad to see them. He still missed them all dearly. 

  Lance's eyes looked up from the pavement in front of him, and met with the figure of the gorgeous man he adored with all his heart. The same old mullet, the same old pale skin with soft freckles, and the same old violet eyes. He loved everything about Keith, even his imperfections. Without them, Keith just wouldn't be Keith. And he probably wouldn't even consider Lance if he was too perfect anyway.

  The Latino recognized he was smiling that love-sick smile he always wore when he saw Keith. He also noticed Keith doing just the same. Once the both groups collided, Lance's only focus was Keith. Both men gave each other a heartwarming grin, before stepping closer.

  Lance's arms found their way around Keith's waist, and Keith locked his arms around Lance's neck, nuzzling his button nose against the soft, tanned skin. Lance sighed in content, tightening his hold around his lover, his soulmate.

  "I missed you," mumbled Lance, as his face was buried in Keith's messy, raven hair. 

  "We saw each other friday night, Lance," Keith huffed softly, "that was literally two days ago." Albeit amusement lingered in his tone. "But I missed you too," he whispered quietly, his warm breath tickling the other's skin.

  "God, I love you so much," he whined silently, and Keith's face heated up to ebullition.

  Lance just couldn't help himself. He didn't know why or how, but he just knew he loved Keith. The world's soulmate system worked to perfection. He felt most fulfilled with Keith at his side. There was a newly found happiness in his soul he could never replace now. It was unique and bewitching. Even when his life was hard and he felt like dying, that corner of his heart remained glowing and warm.

  He didn't skip the phase of "liking Keith", it was just that he had already jumped head first into "loving Keith" a long time ago. And when they reunited, he quickly went over those feelings once again. The first month they were together he hung onto the sentence, "I like you" or "I really like you." But after a while, Lance felt like he was lying when he said that. It wasn't true anymore, he didn't like Keith, he loved the man. Adored him even. His feelings never stayed in place, always growing by the day. Soon enough, there won't be words to describe how he felt for Keith. The Cuban knew he had fallen hard, but the thing with Keith was, their love was infinite. Like a never ending abyss, and Lance kept on falling for Keith, deeper and deeper in love. He had never stopped falling.

  Recently, the dark haired man started saying it back, but Lance didn't want to rush Keith into anything. He didn't want a pressured and insincere "I love you." He knew—noticed after some time—that his short-tempered soulmate was slow to open up, and shy towards affections. Shiro had explained he needed time to get to know a person and learn to trust them. The older sibling reassured Lance that with him it shouldn't take long, considering he managed to obtain a kiss on their first "date". So the Latino was willing to take it slow. No matter how long it would take, he would wait for Keith to get comfortable and say a real and heartfelt "I love you." He was ready to do anything for the man.

  "So do I, silly," responded Keith in a soft, loving tone, pecking Lance's jaw while he spoke. The warm feeling of Keith's lips lingered on the skin, making it tingle all over. 

  Lance pulled away hesitantly and grudgingly, as he was pulled into those violet eyes again. One hand found itself cupping one of Keith's cheeks. His thumb grazed the few freckles on the soft, chubby cheeks.

  One of Keith's hands travelled up the back of Lance's head while intertwining his fingers into the short, soft brown hair. His other hand held the side of Lance's neck, his thumb running over the skin.

  Keith was lost in those blue puddles he admired. He stepped forward, closing the distance between their bodies. He tiptoed and raised his chin. Their lips met briefly, it was short and gentle. Keith leaned back slightly, and his eyes fluttered open again. He smiled at Lance sheepishly as the latter grinned like a dazed fool.

  "Alright we get it lovebirds, get a room," Pidge grunted and rolled their eyes. Keith jumped back completely and retracted his arms, crossing them over his chest in embarrassment. Both boys suddenly felt empty and cold. Keith uncrossed one arm and snaked his hand to subtly take Lance's in his. Warm smiles immediately hung on their pink faces.

  "So what are we going to do?" asked Shiro, rubbing his hands together and tapping his foot once everyone got inside. He seemed a little nervous and his behaviour was slightly off, but nobody questioned it. The poor man had so much to deal with on a daily basis, it wasn't too unusual to see him stressed out.

  "Go to the movies!" proposed Hunk.

  "I don't know... I've already streamed all the new releases," replied Keith pushing some hair behind his ear. 

  "The opera then, I'm sure none of you have seen any of the new performances," stated Coran proudly, twirling his mustache. All the younger friends grimaced.

  "Um, sorry but no," answered Lance.

  "We haven't seen any performances period," added Hunk bumping his fingers together.

  "Well then it's a great time to start!" retaliated Shiro with a cheerful grin. The entire group with the exception of Coran and Shay shot deadly scowls at the man. "Okay, okay, fine," he surrendered holding his hands up in defeat. 

  "Then let's go to the beach! If we're lucky, we could catch some pretty nice waves," Lance said, crouching down and moving his arms up and down in a wavy motion. A collective groan rose into the room as he excitedly snaked his arms in the air.

  Keith sighed and tapped his boyfriend's shoulder. "Lance," he grumbled, "it's freezing out and the water is probably just ice cubes. And even if we were to just stroll on the beach our faces would freeze off because of the wind."

  Lance squinted his eyes and crossed his arms in disappointment. He mumbled under his breath and stuck his lower lip out. The room fell silent as everyone searched for ideas. Allura twirled a leaf of the  plant set on her counter. Her face suddenly lit up.

  "What about laser-tag? I've never done it before, and it seems quite entertaining," she perked up, grinning. 

  "Oh, I'm totally in!" Pidge shouted, excited. 

  "Ooh me too!"

  "Same!"

  "Alright, I guess it's settled. Laser-tag it is! Let's go," cheered Coran as he got Shiro's car keys against the latter's will. 

  They walked out the shop while discussing which laser game to go to. In the end it was decided that they would follow Shiro to the one he knew. They drove in three cars. Hunk's including himself, Shay and Pidge. Shiro's, who was joined by Allura and Coran. And Lance's, of course Keith accompanying him. They got into a single file crossing the city. Only fifteen short minutes until arrival at their destination, plenty of time to crack some jokes and listen to music.

______________________

 

  They got a lecture about the rules from an assistant in a small room. They had decided to only play one match, which was 20 minutes and to play in two teams. No other groups were signed in at that time so it was only between them eight.

  "Alright everyone, we all draw a straw, and the four shortest form a team and the other four will be the second team," Coran informed as he held his hand out, eight straws in it. The bottoms were covered by his hand making the same length poking out. Everyone took one, and compared. 

  Lance looked at his team which was composed of Shiro, Shay and Hunk. Keith was on the other team with Coran, Pidge and Allura. He thought it was the perfect occasion to prove himself worthy to Keith. He was pretty good at laser-tag, if not really good. He also loved riling Keith up over small things, and they both were really competitive. Being on opposite teams would boost their performances much more.

  The buzzer rang in the room meaning the last game was over. The group of friends were lead into another small room with low neon lights. I was hard to see and the general ambiance was stressful. Hunk was already panicking as he went towards the vests displayed. On each vest was a nickname which the would have to remember so they would know the scores at the end of the game. Each went over the chest pieces until they found a name that suited them best.

  They all put on their vests and unbuckled their guns which were hanging from the belts around their waists. They tested the feeling of the pistol in their hands and played around a little. In the backroom there were little pots with neon and glow-in-the-dark face-paint too for additional "equipment".

  Lance glanced at Keith, only to see those beautiful violet eyes staring smugly at him. Lance raised a brow as to ask what Keith was thinking. The black haired man just smirked and turned around, walking over to where the others were, smearing on the face-paint.

  There were different varieties of colours, all of them neon. Allura decided to go with pink and white, similar to Pidge, who went with green and white. They drew different shapes and lines on their faces. Shiro wore a dark blue mixed with a dark purple paint, and Coran went with orange and white. Shay and Hunk both used yellow. Keith took the brush with red paint and smeared some lines on his cheeks. Lance took the blue, and looked into the mirror that hung on the wall beside the racks while applying the paint.

  "Everyone ready?" the employee asked. Lance nodded at her, just like the rest did. 

  They followed her to a metal door opposite to the one they came in from. Lance felt a hand on his shoulder as he looked to his side to see Keith, a smirk playing on his lips. He pulled Lance down by his shirt and brought his lips to Lance's ear.

  "Whoever scores most points decides the next date," whispered Keith, pecking the brunet's cheek. 

  Once the door swung open, a countdown echoed through the vast room. Lance was frozen, he couldn't move a muscle. His brain had blown a fuse. The others rushed inside leaving him behind.

  "Lance!" shouted Shay as she ran back and took his arm, pulling him along. Lance snapped out of his daze, and grinned wickedly. 

  The game's on now, Mullet, he thought to himself.

  It was completely dark with only the glow-in-the-dark paint of the structures providing light. There were hallways, and ramps, and mazes all across the place. 

  The lights on their vests were flashing brightly in the dark. Lance's team was blue and Keith's was red. The teams separated to find their bases. The countdown was almost over, meaning the game would start soon. Another buzzer sounded, and so it was war.

 

___________________

 

  Keith hid behind one of the walls. His base was just around the corner. The team split up after assigning positions and roles, and Keith was in defense. He was there if someone tried to shoot at it. He was trying to figure out a tactic for an effective defense. He knew Shiro was battling against Pidge and Allura near Blue's base, because they worked together and they both wanted to get Shiro. Coran was battling against Hunk and Shay not far from Red's base. And Keith, he was trying to find Lance.

  Who would have guessed, Lance aced this game. He was like a silent assassin. He came out of nowhere, and he was everywhere. It drove Keith insane. Lance had already bombarded their base countless times, and Keith had only had a few clear shots at the other's base. What he lacked in hitting the base, he made up in shooting the enemy. He had already hit each one of his adversaries countless times in places where it scored the most. 

  Pidge and Allura were trying to attack the Blue base, but Shiro was defending it. Coran kept off Hunk and Shay from Red's base and vice versa.

  And then you have Lance doing whatever he was doing, with Keith trying to catch him, only to leave the base unattended and therefore missing him as the Cuban successfully hit it.

  Keith heard footsteps approaching. He leaned around the corner, but saw nobody. The footsteps stopped. Keith's heart rate went haywire, as he felt his heart bump against his chest. He saw something move, he was sure it was Lance. He was right, he saw the man sneaking up on their base. Keith came out of his hiding spot and shot Lance's armour repeatedly until the lights on his chest and shoulders turned off, meaning he was hit.

  Lance shrieked and dropped to the floor, rolling behind a wall. He was unable to shoot for ten seconds since his equipment was disabled. He should have run away but in the panic he simply hid. 

  Once Lance's vest turned back on, there were more footsteps. He stayed glued to the wall but didn't notice Pidge and Allura shooting from an opening facing him. Lance tried shooting back, but was shot by one of them and therefor couldn't fire. He decided to quickly get out of there and try to score points elsewhere. Allura followed Lance, immediately running through the maze to try and catch up to him.

  "I'm gonna follow them, stay here and look out for Shiro," Pidge shouted over the background music as they followed Allura. 

  Keith felt proud he had hit Lance multiple times already, but he shook his head. He couldn't let that small victory go up to his head.

  "Patience yields focus. Patience yields focus," he muttered to himself, closing his eyes in concentration.

  Somebody shot Keith from behind, he turned in one rapid swing, and he saw Shay. They both dove for cover. Once the Red player could fire again, he sneaked up to where the short haired brunette was hiding, and aimed. Just as he pulled the trigger, Hunk jumped in front of his wife out of nowhere, taking the shot for her. He scrambled up to his feet with her help. Keith kept shooting until he got her as well. 

  He huffed proudly. He had high chances of winning. There was another person that came around another corner. Keith raised his gun ready to fire, but lowered it in relief.

  "I'll take over defending the base," Coran informed. "Running around and attacking isn't quite for me," he added with a puff. The black haired man inclined his head and turned around to leave. 

  "Hunk and Shay are still lingering around here," Keith warned, and the man nodded. 

  "Oh, Allura and Pidge are keeping Shiro away, but Lance has disappeared again," disclosed his ally. "If you could try to find him and keep an eye on him that would be great. Plus we found an easy target which adds quite a lot of points to our score if you hit it. Thing is, if it hits you—and it turns on every so often—you're penalized for twenty seconds instead of ten."

  Keith thanked the redhead and ran off, staying close to the ground and making sure his chest and shoulders stayed lower than the walls' rims. He followed Coran's instructions to find the target which apparently was a robot hidden in a corner. Knowing Lance, he would have found the location as well and must have stayed in the vicinity. So finding the robot meant probably finding the Cuban. Keith slipped past a corner, and manoeuvred through the maze of walls and obstacles. His breathing was low and heavy. He needed a strategy, and quick. Lance was a sharpshooter when it came to this game, and Keith really wanted to choose their date for once.

  He heard the hitch of a breath as he walked past a dead-end. He pretended to walk away with heavy footsteps, and he heard a relieved sigh. He tiptoed back and turned around the corner, pointing his gun at the person. 

  As he had expected, it was Lance.

  "You shoot, and I'll shoot back when I get the chance," Keith stated with a threatening tone. He watched Lance intensely. The brunet slowly lowered his raised pistol and Keith mimicked his actions.

  "What exactly are you doing Keith?" Lance asked, wary. Keith needed a plan right now. He glanced over his soulmate's features searching for a weakness he could exploit, as his eyes lingered on those thin, soft-looking lips. 

  The black haired man crouched down in front of Lance so he could be at the same height. He gently pushed Lance's gun to his side and held onto his other hand. The brunet's pupils suddenly dilated. Keith wasn't sure if they were like that because it was dark, or because Lance found him stimulating. Keith stared into those blue eyes. He could see himself in his boyfriend's eyes, the red paint on his cheeks giving a warm glow on the other's irises.

  Before Keith could think straight, his lips were on Lance's. But something was different from when they shared other kisses those past months. This one was more deep, more rough, more passionate. A new kind of adrenaline coursed through Keith's body. The kiss was strong and held many mangled feelings. It had a special force, luring them both for more. Keith pulled back, shocked by his own reckless actions.

  Lance stared at his boyfriend but also opponent, his eyes narrowing with a puzzled look. He seemed like he was trying to solve a difficult math equation.

  "I never knew you liked it rough, samurai," snickered Lance, his stare relaxing again. He wiggled his eyebrows seductively with a smug smile.

  "Shut up, sharpshooter," Keith snapped, blushing. He pressed down on Lance's hands and smashed his lips against the other's. This time Lance kissed back, and moved his lips slightly. Keith went along and turned his head to get a better angle. He crawled onto Lance's lap, his knees on each side of the brunet's thighs. Lance freed his hand from his pistol and hesitantly wrapped it around Keith's neck, pulling him closer. It roamed over the pale skin and crawled into the dark hair, gently tugging at the strands between his fingers.

  Keith's hands rested on Lance's chest, caressing up and down. He kept a firm grasp on his gun, doing his best not to get too sidetracked. He felt his opposer shiver under his touch and almost let out a moan. He smiled smugly into the kiss. His free hand slipped under Lance's shirt, roaming across the skin. It was warm, like it was on fire. An approving hum rose from the back of Lance's throat as Keith's cold hand went higher up the shirt.

  The raven haired man felt something wet against his lip, it was soft and warm. Keith realised it was Lance's tongue, and for some reason he didn't mind. The brunet's free hand traveled down to cup Keith's butt, squeezing it firmly. The latter gasped in surprise and Lance took that opportunity to slip his tongue into Keith's mouth.

  Keith shivered under his foe's grasp and pressed his thighs tighter around Lance's legs. He cupped the side of the taller boy's neck, leaving the warmth of his chest. The new, unfamiliar sensation made Keith weak and caught him off guard. His body was reacting in so many ways to the boy's kiss. Even though he loved it when he was weak for Lance, it was not the moment. He had to act soon.

  Lance broke the kiss leaving a thin string of saliva connecting their lips. Keith's face was burning, his breaths were uneven, and it was just too hot. Lance ducked down again and started kissing down his rival's jaw to his neck. As he started nibbling on the sensitive skin, Keith piped up with a quivering voice.

  "Mhm, Lance," he breathed out suppressing a moan. The restraint made the name sound unbelievably sexy, which caught Lance off guard. He raised his head to look at Keith with half-opened eyes, still in a heated trance.

  Keith's hand left the side of Lance's neck and reached out for his gun, pushing it against Lance's armour. He placed his hand on the sensor, activating the pistol. Now all he had to do was pull the trigger. He pressed harder so Lance was away from his neck, looking up confused, but also aware of the treacherous events to follow.

  "Sorry babe, but I'm gonna win," Keith said in a lewd tone. He fired his gun and stood up. Lance just sat there, unable to do anything. Keith did feel guilty for his trap, but he was sure Lance would forgive him. Just as he was about to saunter away sexily, their suits turned off.

  A robotic voice announced that all players had to leave the room from the exit. The game was over.

  Keith smirked victoriously and turned to look at his boyfriend. The brunet was slouched against the wall staring into the void. His jaw was hanging loose and his face was red underneath the blueish paint. The black haired man chuckled at how ridiculously devastated Lance looked. He hauled his pistol on his shoulder and walked away, head held high. He found his way towards the exit. Opening the door, he felt cold, fresh air hit his face as he cooled down immediately. The others were already taking their vests off and depositing them on the racks. They looked at Keith weirdly, and he gave them a confused stare. They left the room to go back to the entrance where the register was and also the scores.

  "So," trailed Pidge, nudging closer to Keith, "you two just had a make out session during the game? Instead of shooting each other?" they asked, amused with a knowing gaze. They wiggled their eyebrows and pointed to their cheeks. Keith frowned, flustered, but trailed two fingers over his face, smearing them with the neon paint he had put on before. Except the paint wasn't red anymore, it was different shades of purple with some blue over the red. 

  "Um... no," denied Keith with an awkward smile and a bright blush.

  "Sure," replied Pidge in a sarcastic tone, giggling as they skipped forward. Keith tried rubbing the paint off with the back of his hand.

  Damn that gremlin child, cursed Keith, only now feeling the embarrassment of his actions.

  "Alright, here is the scoreboard," proclaimed the employee, as they arrived at the counter. Everyone looked up at it. Team Blue was the winner with 55'320 points. Cheers boomed and the team hugged. Keith's team just smiled and high-fived proudly, their score wasn't shameful at all, a nice 50'020 points. While the scores were being printed out Lance and Keith scanned the screen for their pseudonyms to see how many points they had.

  "18,490!" burst out Lance.

  "18,680!" exclaimed Keith.

  They looked at each other in the eyes. The brunet's face was drained of color and he fell to his knees devastated, holding his fists in the air.

  "Nooooooooo!" he wailed slamming his hands on the floor. "I lost!"

  "And I win," piped up Keith with a satisfied smile. He couldn't wait to take Lance on their next date.

  They were handed the small paper with the evaluation of every team. There was the accuracy of the shots, the number of bases shot, the special modes, the player tags, the team rankings, the overall ranking, basically all you needed to know about that twenty minute game.

  Lance analyzed everything and gasped. "No but that's not fair! Keith beat me by two hundred points!"

  "Sucks being a loser huh?" teased Pidge.

  "No you don't understand, if it weren't for that last shot, I would have been in the lead! Stupid chest worth two hundred points!" whined the Cuban.

  "What happened to 'super pro sharpshooter Lance'?" sniggered Hunk looking down at his own score. He cackled when he saw that he had a higher score than his wife. He grimaced playfully and teased her about it.

  "I was totally in ninja mode! I was on fire," bragged Lance, rotating his head and holding his hand out with his thumb and index pressed together in order to show his verdict. "But I was betrayed," he finished in a dramatic tone, looking at Keith with wide eyes and pursed lips. 

  His soulmate looked around stiffly with a confused smile. Lance stepped up to him. He crossed his arms and raised his chin. He whipped out his hand and pretended to check out his nails.

  "So. How do you feel now, champion?" asked the brunet, frowning and underlining the word "champion". Keith tried to hide his smile with a haughty look.

  "I feel perfectly fine, thank you," he responded closing his eyes and forcing his lips down.

  "Oh really?" pursued Lance. "You don't feel a little bit of, I don't know... A teensy weensy bit of you know... SHAME AFTER TOYING WITH ME?" The Cuban held the back of his hand to his forehead, putting his head back. "I feel so used... A mere tool for you to utilize for your own profit, casting me away as soon as you've obtained your goal. And may I remind you your goal was also to beat me? I feel double betrayed," he gasped fanning himself.

  By then the whole group was giggling and laughing. The drama queen held his hands out to silence them.

  "Mock me not you low lives! For even though I have been beaten—just reminding you the man over there who I don't know cheated okay, alright?—I still have a score higher than all of yours," he chanted in the end, mockingly waving the little piece of paper with their points. He put back on his noble act and trotted towards Hunk. 

  "Oh my dear best friend, my only trustworthy companion, will you accompany me on our way back home? I wish not to be seated with... Snakes," he squinted his eyes at Keith. The latter simply rolled his eyes in amusement. 

  "Alright, alright your highness, I'll come with your sorry butt," acquiesced the chubby man. He threw his car keys to Shay. "Honey I'll let you drive Pidge and Keith. Oh and Keith, don't worry, I'll take care of your boyfriend. I'll turn him back to normal, well, as normal as he could be..."

  "Boyfriend? Me! Why never! My pure, untouched, royal self has no recollection of a lover whatsoever," wailed Lance as he was being pushed out the laser game.

  "Okay Lance, we get it. It's getting old now, if you could just cut it off," groaned Hunk. He turned back and mimicked a phone call informing the others to call him.

  The rest of the group scoffed at Lance's theatrical exit and started planning what to do next. None wanted to end the day so abruptly so Shay suggested they eat dinner together. They walked to the parking lot while discussing where to eat. 

  Shiro nervously stepped in saying, "I actually, um... already reserved a table at Vivaldi's..."

  "What seriously? That's like, super expensive and formal," remarked Pidge, slightly confused.

  "Ooh did you plan this evening for months?" squealed Coran.

  "Actually yeah..." Shiro scratched the back of his head smiling sheepishly.

  "For us?" continued the older man, clapping his hands together. Shiro looked up alarmed.

  "What? No, I–"

  "Then it's settled!" cut off Allura folding her hands under her chin. "We're going to Vivaldi's tonight! Shay, call your husband, tell him to meet us there!"

  The friends all cheered except Shiro who stood back watching the events play out as if he had witnessed a total disaster.

____________________

 

  Keith walked glumly through the streets. Everyone had parked their cars and they were all headed towards the restaurant which was a couple blocks away. The sun had set a while ago, letting the cold of the night roam through the city. Shiro quickly caught up with his brother.

  "Hey, what's up between you and Lance? Why aren't you hugging him as we speak? Is he still mad because you got first place?" he asked, pointing to the brunet who was arguing with Hunk about which position was most comfortable while binge watching '13 reasons why'.

  "What? Ew, no, I wouldn't be hugging him! We don't hug. We've never hugged before," babbled Keith in a silly panic. Shiro gave him a knowing look. 

  "Keith, you two have been dating for two months, you're childhood lovers, and you're soulmates. Plus we've all seen you hug and kiss."

  Keith cringed at his own stupid reply. He puffed out a sigh and shrugged. "I'm not really sure if he's still... upset about losing. We're both pretty competitive so... maybe?"

  "Oh yeah, he's totally competitive," barged in Allura, pressing down on both men's shoulders with her elbows. "He's always like this Keith. He really doesn't like losing, and he outs it on the person who overpowered him. In this case, you," she clarified. "But he mostly puts on an act, and pretends to be very offended when in fact he isn't."

  Keith listened carefully but knew Allura was wrong about one thing. Lance does go all theatrical when he loses in front of friends. But he does it to make the others laugh so he doesn't feel too bad about losing, because he actually tries his best but doesn't always get first place. Because he'll be fine as long as his friends don't see he actually isn't.

  Thinking about that made Keith a little sad. He knew Lance from a very young age, and he still acted the same. He did start feeling bad about tricking his soulmate and distracting him to get more points. But he reasoned with himself and concluded that where he was going to take Lance on their date would make up for it big time.

  Shiro patted Keith's shoulder. "Either way, don't let it get to you."

  After a while, Keith had distanced himself behind Allura and Shiro, who now had their hands intertwined. Allura rested her head on Shiro's shoulder as he kissed her temple softly, a smile barely gracing his features.

  The black haired man watched melancholically as the couple strutted happily towards the restaurant. He shot a quick glance back at the rest who were huddled around Lance. He decided he didn't want the Cuban to be upset with him, whether it was real or an act. After dinner he would make things right. 

  Inside the restaurant were brightly lit chandeliers, and soft classical music dancing ear to ear of every customer. The group waddled inside, shivering rubbing their hands together. Shiro went to talk to a waiter about the reservations he had made. Both looked uneasy and anxious but in the end they seemed to come to a solution. The team was led to a long table where they were asked to sit. There was playful chatter as all looked through the menu. Hunk started listing the dishes which were worth trying and also began a speech about how pasta should really be cooked. They ordered a bottle of wine and a pitcher of water. Once everyone had told the waiter what they wanted to eat, Shiro coughed to catch everyone's attention. 

  "I just wanted to thank you all for this awesome afternoon guys," he announced raising his glass of wine in the air. "We really were able to get closer as a team and as friends. This laser tag experience was great and we must do it again." 

  The table cheered quietly and raised their glasses too.

  "And I say, a toast to the winner of today's game," he added and everyone looked at Keith. "Congratulations, but we won't let you have it easy next time."

  Everyone chuckled and toasted to Keith and the teamwork they accomplished that day. 

  "I wouldn't exactly say he's the winner of today's game, maybe the cheater yes," commented Lance taking a sip of his wine. His friends sighed and smiled in amusement. He could be such a sore loser when he wanted to be.

  Pidge rested their chin on their crossed hands and stared at Lance provokingly. "You know Lance, you keep saying Keith cheated, but you never said how. I don't see how someone can cheat at laser tag. Why don't you explain what happened, huh?" they smirked.

  Lance and Keith both burst into flames. The raven haired man fidgeted on his chair, not quite sure what to say.

  "Well... He, um... He came up to me... and, uh... And told me he wasn't going to shoot... then he began telling me how good at the game I was, and how he was going to lose. He begged me to let him win, and I couldn't say no to those puppy eyes, so I considered it," invented the Cuban, fully captivated by his own story. He made himself appear as the great hero who was stabbed in the back, dramatically adding movements and sound effects. 

  As the story continued for a while—everyone knew it wasn't true but it was still entertaining—Keith instead recalled what really had happened. His heart raced in his chest and his eyes began darting everywhere. He was ridiculously afraid someone could read his thoughts and know about the shameless kissing Lance and him had done. His head fizzed with embarrassment but also childish pleasure. Keith felt his lips tingle at the memory. Lance was a great kisser, not that he would ever admit that out loud. He had felt so good in Lance's arms, his lips traveling over his face and neck. It was something they weren't used to doing. It was certainly something Keith wasn't used to doing. 

  He looked up and smiled at the brunet who was just arriving at the part where Keith supposedly shot him in the chest as he was supposedly reaching out for a peace handshake. Watching him so passionate about something that didn't even happen made the short man grow even more fond of him. He was also happy Lance was ready to cover for them both. As he watched his boyfriend's lips move, telling the story, his smile gradually fell as he realized something. Lance was a good kisser, yes. But how come? Keith wasn't bad, but he missed something. Lance knew how to kiss. He had experience kissing. 

  A familiar feeling bubbled in Keith's gut. His intestines cramped together and his eyebrows furrowed. He sat up straight and glanced at the over-energetic man from the corner of his eye. He knew it was stupid, but he did not like the thought of Lance having kissed other people. Not one bit. Keith felt anger and jealousy boil up inside him. He clenched his fists in frustration.

  While the steaming man bubbled in his seat, Lance noticed the glare strafing the seat opposite to him. It was the expression Keith wore when something was really bothering him. The brunet knew he better intervene rapidly before it got worse. He glanced around at the faces which were listening to his story with a playful interest. He chuckled and swatted the air, ending the story saying he was manipulated and used for Keith to grab victory. His audience was slightly taken aback by the rushed ending. Lance paid them no attention and reached across the table to his soulmate who was a couple seats to his right on the opposite side.

  "Hey, um, Keith?" 

  The raven haired man snapped out of his furious daze. He looked up to Lance.

  "Mind if I talk to you for a sec?"

  The rest around the table looked at them disoriented. Keith stuttered, completely perturbed. He proceeded to stay silent and nod his head. Both men excused themselves from the group and walked to another, more empty part of the restaurant. They hid behind a large aquarium containing a couple fish and other colorful marine creatures. 

  Keith took a step back and looked at the ground, different emotions roaming around in his chest and mind. Should he be sad? angry? Should he even be bothered by it? He didn't know, he was overwhelmed by emotions. But he did intend to make things right. He had to apologize for tricking Lance and stealing the victory. Even though his drama queen seemed over it, he knew how to hide those feelings pretty well. Keith inhaled deeply and readied himself.

  "Look, I'm sorry okay?" Lance spoke out first. 

  Keith flinched not expecting that from him. An apology? He apologized first? Lance made it clear he never apologized first, because he was just too stubborn. So this meant Lance was really sorry? But he had done nothing wrong, it was Keith who took advantage of his boyfriend.

  "I overreacted, but I never intended to really hurt you, Keith," explained Lance quietly. 

  The live orchestra not far from them changed musics as they stared silently into one another's eyes. Keith frowned in culpability. He held his hands in front of Lance and shook his head.

  "No, no! Lance! I should be apologizing! I did in fact cheat, it was not fair, what I did," he affirmed, resting his hands on Lance's shoulders. He stared at the brunet's face with guilt. "I just... I really wanted to choose our next date..." 

  Lance pouted and laid his chin on Keith's head, pulling him in for a hug. "I really wanted to choose our next date too, you know..." 

  His lover pushed him back and squinted his eyes at him. "Lance. You wanted to choose our next date?"

  "Well, yeah... I mean–"

  "Lance. You've never taken our dates seriously. Last time you told me you were going to take me somewhere special you brought me to Staples. Staples, Lance. A freakin' office supplies store."

  The Cuban pressed his lips together in an awkward, culpable smile. Guilty as charged. He scoffed and waved his hand dismissively.

  "What? No..." He saw Keith's face a hundred percent done with his excuses. "Okay I admit it was more of a prank, and I really needed new binders, like, really needed them. But I do care about our dates. I love spending time with you so much, I don't care where we go. You could take me to buy kitchen knives with you, and I would still be overjoyed."

  Keith melted into a puddle of puppy love. He looked at Lance passionately and smiled. The brunet brushed his boyfriend's hair back while grinning.

  "But if you weren't angry about me bitching all afternoon, then why did you look like murdering the painting on the wall across from you?" whispered Lance jokingly. Keith widened his eyes in recollection, then lowered his gaze.

  "I... I was not..."

  "Um, you were too," retorted Lance. "Come on, tell me."

  The dark haired man separated himself from his soulmate and stuck his hands in his pockets, shrugging.  

  "Keith?" cooed Lance softly, trying to coax his boyfriend into talking. He reached out to him but as soon his hand came into view, Keith flinched at the unexpected movement.

  "Keith," repeated Lance steadier, concern coating the name. But the latter ignored the desperate call once again.

  "Keith, please! Seriously, what's going on?" Lance was starting to panic big time. He watched as his lover's face contorted with displeasure. He mumbled something but the brunet couldn't make out what it was.

  "What?"

  "...How many?" asked Keith, louder this time, his eyes still downcast.

  "How many what?" Lance was more than confused now. He desperately searched answers in Keith's eyes, but they kept fleeing his.

  "How many... people have you... have you kissed? How many people have you been with? How many people have you loved?" he demanded. He just needed to know. He needed to confirm his suspicions.

  "I–... Keith why... Why are you asking that?" chuckled Lance nervously. He was flustered and completely caught by surprise by the sudden questions.

  "Lance," Keith warned him with a dangerous tone. His face softened and he looked up at his soulmate with the genuine need to know. The brunet sealed his lips, staring at Keith once again, like he was a puzzle. He sighed in defeat and caressed the man's cheek, keeping his hand on the other's neck.

  "I've been with... a lot of people," he confessed, almost ashamed. "And... of course, I've kissed most of my partners as well. I mean, I'm a twenty-six year old man, I've had the time to date, and, well... get used to kissing, and, uh..."

  Keith nodded in understanding. At least now he knew. It was inevitable, really. He didn't know what he had expected. They had met again on one of his dates. It was obvious Lance dated. It was sure he kissed a lot of people before Keith. He was just upset they hadn't been in each other's lives more. All that he felt with Lance in the span of two months, he wished he had experienced all that much sooner.

  "But," continued the Cuban with a cheery tone, "You were the first person I kissed. You remember that, right?"

  Keith blushed and faced Lance. He was grinning foolishly nodding his head as to make the shorter man speak.

  "Yes... I remember," he admitted turning to look that the empty tables on his left. That souvenir brought up too many butterflies in his stomach. He scratched his nose trying to make the glowing blush go away.

  "And, you were the first person I loved." Lance was not done explaining, he needed Keith to know how he really felt, even if it was behind an aquarium in a classy restaurant. "Even though I dated a lot of people, I never loved them like I loved, and love you now. They were just like... crushes. You mean so much more to me, than all of them put together ever could! We've always had one hell of a bond, and I just want to cherish that now."

  The blood in Keith's system obviously forgot how to circulate since it was flowing only to his face, leaving his lungs and rest of the body with no means of function. The man felt lightheaded and absurdly giddy. He reacted on impulse and reached for Lance's collar. He tugged him down forcefully and crashed his lips onto the brunet's. 

  Lance gasped in the kiss. He smiled as Keith let him go. He wanted to make a witty banter but the dark haired man didn't leave him the chance.

  "I'm sorry for thinking about the past. You're more than right, we should focus on us now," he declared. "Thank you for waiting for me, and being patient with me, and loving me."

  Lance guffawed and wrapped his arms around his soulmate's head, squeezing him tightly. "That goes without saying, my dear princess."

  Keith scoffed, pinching his boyfriend's side. The tall man squeaked and let go laughing. They stayed a couple more seconds staring at each other with a silly lovestruck expression plastered on their faces. Lance reached down for Keith's hand, slowly nearing the man. He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow, his way of asking for permission. Keith nodded and let Lance deposit a small, loving kiss on his mouth. He curled his fingers around his lover's hand and tugged it gently.

  "Let's go back to the others, they might start imagining weird things," he advised, leading Lance to the big hall. The Cuban sniggered but followed suit. At their table were already all their orders. Everyone had already started eating as they arrived. 

  "Guys, you're just in luck, they brought the dishes a few seconds ago, it's still hot," exclaimed Hunk while chomping on some meat. The two men sat down in their respective seats.

  "So... did Lance propose or something?" inquired Pidge, playing with their fork in midair.

  "What?" Lance, Keith, and Shiro coughed out. Now all eyes were on the young computer geek.

  "Well, we could totally see you through the aquarium, and Keith just suddenly kissed you like you had asked him to marry you. So did you?" they repeated, looking at Lance. 

  Shiro put his fork down and blinked several times. He turned to Keith moving his head to the side for confirmation. The younger sibling sighed and shook his head, rolling his eyes.

  "Um... No. We just... We were only..."

  "We just sorted things out. I told Lance to shut his mouth about this afternoon, and that I'd make it up to him," finished Keith. Shiro sighed in relief, immediately going back to his dinner.

  "Yeah exactly! Wait, what?"

  Keith raised his eyebrows and widened his eyes telling the Cuban to just go with it.

  "I mean, yes totally. I won't speak a word of it anymore," asserted the lean man. Pidge put both hands up in surrender, but kept a suspicious look on their face.

  "That's good to hear. Just maybe next time, choose another place for your gross make out session. First, we all look like messed up people with no lives in this rich person restaurant, and to top that, you two basically start acting for a porn movie in the dining hall. I heard some neighboring tables ask if they should call in a waiter to get you to stop before you began traumatizing the poor fish," disclosed Pidge, a cheeky smirk on their cute face.

  The group laughed at their friends as their faces turned redder than before. Keith shot glances around himself, and did see some people staring in his direction with weird looks. He lowered his head and played with the cloth napkin on his lap.

  "Could we just eat now?" interjected Lance in distress.

  "Yes please!" Keith blurted out, picking up his knife and fork.

  That only made the others laugh more at their adorable reactions. They all ended up switching subjects and dining peacefully. Everyone had a great time. The awesome afternoon ended in an awesome evening. It felt good to spend time with every person in their group at once. It wasn't always easy to get everyone in the same spot on the same day. There was always someone missing, an unexpected event coming up. But they managed it this time. Despite the ups and downs, it was a great day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahaha, finally after about 2 months? ^-^"  
> THANK YOU for your wait and patience, but VOILA! Here you go!  
> The next update shall be quicker!  
> A big shoutout to my editor who saved my ass back here on chapter 3 and is doing me a HUGE favor on chapter 4, I love you girl. You're too good for me (,:  
> ANYWAYYY, we hoped you liked the chapter! And we hope that you're willing to wait for the upcoming ones! We're quite the slow ones (;  
> If you haven't noticed~  
> It's 02;30 (Am), lord save me ;-; and I'm gonna play my first laser-tag game tomorrow with my group of friends!! AAAHHH I'm excited!! I'll fail to be a sharpshooter though, and I'm a sore loser like Lance (,:  
> Save me-
> 
>  
> 
> Word count; 9033


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deep conversations and fluff, more bonding moments and cuddles. What more can you wish for?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Perfect by Ed Sheeran
> 
> 『Wʜᴀᴛ's ᴀ sᴏᴜʟᴍᴀᴛᴇ?』
> 
> 『Iᴛ's ᴀ... Wᴇʟʟ, ɪᴛ's ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀ ʙᴇsᴛ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴍᴏʀᴇ. Iᴛ's ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡs ʏᴏᴜ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ ᴇʟsᴇ. Iᴛ's sᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇs ʏᴏᴜ ᴀ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ. Aᴄᴛᴜᴀʟʟʏ, ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀsᴇʟғ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ᴛʜᴇʏ ɪɴsᴘɪʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ. A sᴏᴜʟᴍᴀᴛᴇ ɪs sᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀʀʀʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜ ғᴏʀᴇᴠᴇʀ. Iᴛ's ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ ᴡʜᴏ ᴋɴᴇᴡ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀᴄᴄᴇᴘᴛᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀɴᴅ... ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇᴅ ɪɴ ʏᴏᴜ, ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ ᴇʟsᴇ ᴅɪᴅ ᴏʀ ᴡʜᴇɴ ɴᴏ ᴏɴᴇ ᴇʟsᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ. Aɴᴅ ɴᴏ ᴍᴀᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴs, ʏᴏᴜ'ʟʟ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ... ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴄᴀɴ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ.』

Time had passed by too quickly. It seemed as though the group of close friends had entered the restaurant only minutes ago, and they were now strolling on the sidewalk, going home. Shiro and Allura had stayed behind saying they wanted to wait for dessert. The others thought it was getting late and frankly, that Italian restaurant was not the cheapest around. Hunk groaned and complained about wanting a chocolate gelato with a plate of strawberries on the side. His wife consoled him saying she had some ice cream at her place with strawberry flavored candy. The two proposed driving Pidge home on their way since it was in the same direction. Lance and Keith were then driving Coran home who lived a little further than the rest. 

They talked about curtains the whole way—surprisingly, a topic even Lance and Keith got engrossed with rather quickly. They dropped off the silly man in front of his house. He kept on rambling for a few minutes but finally said he needed to get some rest. The two in the car chuckled and drove out of the neighborhood.

"Oh wait," blurted out the dark haired man, holding onto the steering wheel. Lance stopped the car on the edge of the road. "I want to drive."

Lance frowned. "Why?"

"I... I would like to take you on our date," he confessed, letting his hand slide down to land on his lap. 

"Now?" smiled the brunet, amused. Keith nodded sternly, his cheeks red. Lance acquiesced and unbuckled his seat belt. He got out the car and walked around it, winking at his lover through the windshield. Keith scooted over to the driver's seat. His short legs made it easier for him to squeeze from one side to the other. He adjusted the car seat so he could comfortably reach the pedals and see over the steering wheel. He tilted the rear view mirror as Lance swung himself next to Keith.

"All set?" asked the Cuban. His boyfriend nodded, turning the keys, and making the engine start again. The car advanced slowly until they were back on the main road. 

They said nothing for a while. Keith was concentrating on the road, and Lance was playing with the cat figurine he kept hanging on the visor. He tapped his fingers to an unknown rhythm whilst glancing out the window. They were on a highway now leading out of the city. He gazed over to his left and contemplated Keith. The man wore a stern expression on his handsome face. His eyes were steady on their path. They twinkled every time a car crossed them on the other side of the freeway. His position was otherwise natural. His hands were firmly gripped onto the wheel but with a certain ease. His shoulders were relaxed, but he kept a straight posture. Lance never thought someone could look so good while driving. Then again, it was Keith he was talking about, the man could look good doing anything. Except crying. He proved to be a very ugly crier. 

The tanned man reached out to his soulmate's right hand. He glided over the back of his hand, and settled over it, curling his fingers over Keith's. The driver quickly gandered over to Lance in perplexity. He immediately went back to focusing of the road. The Cuban's fingers slid under Keith's palm, detaching his hand from the steering wheel. The dark haired man kept shooting glances from in front of the car to his partner. Lance carefully took Keith's hand in his, holding it delicately like a princess's. He placed a sweet kiss on his boyfriend's fingers. His lips wandered further, and claimed the other's knuckles, back of the hand, wrist, and forearm. 

The short man squirmed while squeezing the helm with his left hand. Shivers travelled from the tips of his fingers to the base of his neck. He rolled his shoulder covering that sensitive spot, and tried prying his arm away.

"Lance, what are you doing?" he breathed out erratically. His face burned brightly once he pronounced those words. He was so affected by simple kisses it was too embarrassing for him to handle. Lance smirked and leaned in closer.

"I'm displaying my unconditional love for you," he replied in a low voice, dangerously close to Keith's ear. The hair on his neck spiked up and his heart started racing. 

"And you need to do that now? While I'm driving?" he groaned, just a little bit displeased. 

Lance nodded, "Yup. You look so sexy while driving, I just have to kiss you."

Keith tensed up and sat up even more erect. He tried to put the comment aside and not let it affect him. He coughed stiffly while shifting on his seat. "This isn't the first time you've seen me drive, what's gotten into you?"

The brunet sighed in a pleasurable daze. "Yet it is only now I realize how hot you are, gripping that steering wheel tightly, and sitting all cool and handsome," he growled, keeping Keith's hand under his chin so he could rapidly plant pecks on it.

The long haired man was absurdly flattered, and allowed his smile to grow. He tittered softly with shyness. He couldn't see Lance's face but he was persuaded he was swooning over him. He spread his fingers to interlace them with his boyfriend's. He pulled their connected hands toward himself to softly smooch the back of Lance's hand. He laid it on his lap so his hand was over the brunet's. That way he could keep the sweet distraction from bothering him any longer, but he could still feel the comfort of having Lance with him.

 

_________________________

 

They pulled up in an empty parking lot pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Lance stretched his arms out and yawned. He had fallen asleep on Keith's shoulder as the latter was driving. They finally made it to their destination—which was a forest on a hill. 

Keith opened the trunk and rummaged through it. Meanwhile, the Cuban stared around at the tall trees and badly lit drinking fountains. 

"Where the hell are we?" he asked, trying to make out where they were. It didn't look too cozy around there. He turned to his boyfriend who was hauling a huge blanket and two padded jackets. Lance frowned, disoriented. "Since when do I have those?"

Keith slammed the trunk shut after picking up a flashlight. He locked the car and strutted to his soulmate. "I put them there a few days ago. The blanket and flashlight you always keep so I just needed to bring jackets."

"But how did you know we were going to do this?"

"I told you, I really wanted to take you here, so I prepared in advance for whenever I'd get the chance," explained Keith. He handed Lance one of the large jackets and the folded blanket. He manned the flashlight after closing his own coat. They walked into the woods and further away from the blinking streetlights. 

There were many interesting sounds in that forest at night. The crickets were chirping, some owls were hooting, bats were flapping around, rodents were scurrying off to safety, Lance was almost hyperventilating.

After five minutes of trekking in the dark with the constant panicked breaths of his boyfriend, Keith couldn't take it anymore. He turned around and flashed the brunet in the face. 

"Lance, what is it? You sound like an asthmatic rabbit after a race," he interjected lowering the light to their feet. 

"Uh, no... No, no. I'm fine," responded the tall man, rubbing his eyes. 

"Really? Because you almost sound scared."

Lance scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "What? Scared? Are you kidding me?" he retorted. "I'm freaking terrified."

Keith gave him a look of incomprehension, shrugging his shoulders and frowning with his mouth slightly open.

"Hey, don't give me that look!" The black haired man sighed. He crossed his arms ready to listen to Lance. "You'd be scared too if you had no idea where you'd be going! We're in a forest at night in a town that looks deserted with unsanitary drinking fountains, creepy lampposts, dangerous animals, and probably murderers."

Keith raised an eyebrow. "But I'm here with you, and I know this place. No one's here and no one's gonna kill you."

"That's exactly what a murderer would say before murdering someone," pointed out Lance. 

"You really think I would bring you all the way out here in the middle of the night to kill you?" recapitulated Keith staring at his boyfriend in amusement. The brunet grimaced, clearly dubious. Now Keith was getting almost irritated. "Lance."

"...What... What answer won't get me killed?" whispered the lean man.

"Really Lance?" exclaimed Keith in stupefaction. "Oh my god you're unbelievable!"

"So... you won't kill me?" tempted Lance, raising one finger up. His partner glared at him. 

"Ugh! Just... Just follow me and don't say anything," ordered the frustrated man. He grabbed Lance's hand and pulled him along. 

"Is this because I was being a sore loser? I was only joking, ha ha, see, I'm laughing! Or maybe you're a hitman who has come to kill me. Oh, just so you know, I genuinely fell in love with you, and you fooled me perfectly. You're one hell of an actor I can give you that. I never thought this would be my end though," confessed the brunet. Keith groaned loudly which made Lance guffaw. He kept on wheezing and mocking his lover until he finally exploded with anger, but mostly with laughter. 

They made it rather quickly to the top of the hill. There was a clearing with a couple picnic tables set at the rim of the woods. Keith led Lance to the center of the grass field where they spread out their blanket. They laid down on it, facing the night sky. 

"Woah..." Lance marveled at the beauty of the sea of stars displayed before him. "Are you seeing this?" 

"I am," murmured Keith quietly.

Lance turned to stare at his soulmate but the man already beat him to it. He was admiring him with the softest, and most endearing look on Earth. The brunet chuckled and wiggled closer to his love.

"Did you even look up?"

"I don't need to. Your eyes are the only stars I want to see tonight," replied the charming beau.

You've been hit by, you've been struck by, a smooth criminal, were the lyrics beating in Lance's mind as his heart rocketed far off into the glistening stars. He smiled sheepishly and rolled onto Keith, hugging him securely. The dark haired man exhaled feebly as he was being squashed, but cackled softly. They repositioned themselves so that they were laying as close to one another as possible, arms linked from shoulders to fingers, and side of the heads touching. Their legs were piled up over each other in a complex knot. They stared at the sky, observing every little detail. Their hot breaths rose into the air at each exhale, and they began blowing more out just for fun.

Lance raised his and Keith's hand in front of them. "Look," he said, "we're part of the sky." He kept his left arm over his head and Keith did the same with his right. They stared at the tattoo dwelling on their skin until it blended in with the other stars. A beautiful constellation of love and devotion. 

"What do you think, is its meaning?" questioned the short man, slowly dropping his hand.

"Hmm?"

"What do you think our tattoo means?" rephrased Keith. "Since they're supposed to have a reason that connects and fits with the both of us. Why do you think we have this one?"

Lance sighed heavily. He pondered as his thumb grazed the marked skin. 

"Well... It's a constellation. That's connected to the stars, to the universe. We both love outer space," asserted the Cuban. 

Keith rolled to his side so he was facing his soulmate. He clasped his hands around Lance's left arm. "True. Go on," he urged softly. His lover also turned around and laid his right hand over Keith's. 

"The arrow for you is... It's your personality, in a way. It's sharp, very manly," teased Lance as he pinched his partner's biceps. Keith giggled and whispered for him to stop. "It's a weapon, so it's dangerous. Maybe it's for your aggressiveness, and short temper."

Keith lowered his eyes in guilt. The brunet immediately pulled their hands closer to his chest.

"But that's not a bad thing at all!" he reassured him. "You're aggressive and competitive. You move forward in life. And when you aim that arrow, I guarantee you, it hits bullseye every time. Just look at me, I'm lovestruck with you. You hit my heart just in the right place, now I'll never be able to get over you."

Keith reddened at the affectionate words Lance blew at him. He retreated in the fluff of his jacket until the cogs in his brain would stop fizzing and spinning out of control. He retracted his hands so he could rub his soulmate's on his cheek.

"And you have a big, beautiful heart. You are kind, and loving, and romantic, and simply too pure. You devote yourself entirely to your partners, sometimes even until they drown in your affections," theorized the raven haired man. Lance agreed with a sad nod. Keith freed his left hand and extended it so he could caress his boyfriend's face. "But lucky for you, I'm never satisfied and I'm always in need of affection."

The Cuban almost squealed in delight. He embraced Keith by the neck, suffocating him in the padded coat. They both laughed wholeheartedly while their bodies were pressed against each other. It gradually got quiet. Keith could only see Lance's neck from where he was laying. He observed the light rise and fall of his chest. Another doubt roamed in his mind. He debated whether to confront Lance about it or simply cast it away for the moment being.

"Do you know why I dated so many people?" asked the lean man out of the blue. Keith gasped quietly and pushed himself back so he could see Lance's face. It was incredible, that was the exact thing he had wanted to know. 

"To... To find your soulmate quicker?" he guessed. Lance smiled and brought Keith closer to his heart.

"Yes, that's one reason," he chuckled. "But I mostly did it because I had a taste lingering in the back of my mouth–... Uh heart– no mind... you get the idea! The taste of pure, genuine love and happiness. I could only guess it was because of that weird boy to whom I had made a promise. I didn't know if he was my soulmate. I didn't know what he looked like. But I did know I wanted to live the rest of my life with him.  
"So I set out to find him. I thought, 'screw you soulmate, I got myself a fiancé who made me the happiest person in the world!' All I had to do was remember who he was so I could marry him. I didn't want to bother Mama, so I decided to find him on my own, forcing my brain to remember everything.  
"At some point I thought, 'hey, while I'm waiting, why not date anyone I want?' So I began dating any boy or girl who was willing to give me their time. I thought I was in love countless times. But they made it clear they weren't. I was ready to settle down with each one of them, even though they weren't my soulmate. I just thought maybe I could be happy without my fated person, like I was with that kid.''

"But I guess I was never completely satisfied, and neither were my dates. We were just there to 'pass the time'.  
"However one day, I met a total jerk—the complete opposite of what my first lover was. He was rude, salty, handsome, an ass, and mean. All I wanted was for my mystery lover to come and find me since I was twenty-six and I wanted to get married already. But just like how Lilo asked for an angel and got stuck with Stitch, I got stuck with you. My very own bizarre alien cuddle buddy."

At the end of Lance's story, Keith was gasping for air. He clutched onto his stomach with one hand and wrapped the second around his significant other's neck. The brunet only joined in the laughter because of how adorable he found his sweetheart. As ugly as Keith could be crying, he was just as handsome laughing. Tears pearled in the corner of his squeezed-shut eyes, his cheeks were doused with a pink blush, his nose scrunched up at each big intake of air, his mouth stayed wide open to let the cheerful sound out, and his smile was most marveling. 

"God, I want to kiss you so bad," burbled Lance in a trance. Keith snorted and took his soulmate's face in his hands.

"What's stopping you?" he asked seductively. The Cuban smirked and pressed Keith's cheeks together. He began attacking the short man with thousands of big smooches, missing the mouth several times. He didn't stop bombarding him with sloppy kisses even when Keith was begging out of breath. He curled into a ball trying to flee the assaults. But since he was covering his face, his ears and neck were attainable. Lance dove down and pecked the man where he was most sensible. Keith screeched in laughter and uncoiled. He playfully fought with his boyfriend, holding both his arms as far away from himself as he could. He managed to gain the upper hand and rolled over his tall soulmate, sitting on his chest. He pinned both his hands near his head.

"Stop," ordered Keith shaking like a leaf. He was gasping for air and any kind of energy seeing that he was completely out of strength. At each breath he tried to take he hiccuped with giggles. Lance tilted his head with a look of consideration. "I said stop," repeated the dark haired man with a chuckle. He slowly let go of Lance's arms. He closed his eyes and huffed in relief. Just as he thought it was over, the sneaky Cuban grabbed him and pulled him down, switching places so he was hovering over him. 

Keith rolled his eyes in exasperation. They chortled briefly again. The short man pulled Lance by both his ears and pressed both their faces hard against each other. Their noses were poking one another's cheeks, and they were more laughing than kissing. 

They managed to calm down after many failed attempts. They laid on their backs once again with their hands glued to each other. After a short moment of silence, Keith spoke again.

"I'm... sorry... that you had to go through all those heartbreaks, I mean..."

Lance turned around surprised. "It wasn't your fault, I was the one who believed I could fill the blank with any puzzle piece."

"Yeah but... I can't help thinking we both would have been a lot happier if we had met sooner. You wouldn't have had to go through all those breakups," mumbled Keith, slightly upset. The brunet pressed on his boyfriend's hand.

"Hey," he whispered cautiously, "I'm fine, okay? I got over each one of them pretty well. You don't need to worry, alright?"

Keith hesitated but gave a reluctant nod.

"Besides, I'm the one who should be worrying here. You were left alone with no family at the age of ten. A problem child like you must have changed foster families a dozen times. Now that's something difficult to swallow..."

The raven haired man played with his companion's jacket zipper. He gandered pensively at nothing in particular. Lance raked his fingers through Keith's hair.

"You don't have to say anything," he hushed. His boyfriend looked up to him with a sad smile. 

"No... You have the right to know," he disclosed. "You're... You are my other half, it's only fair I share this with you..."

The brunet stared at Keith with admiration. He nodded in delight. They waited a few more seconds before the troubled man spoke. He laid flat on his back to watch the sky. His hands connected on his stomach as he searched for his words. 

"When... After grandma... died, I was sad... shocked... lost... and scared. I didn't have any family left. I didn't want to be alone. Then I lost you too. I felt very angry and frustrated, because all those bad things were happening to me, but... I couldn't do anything about it. I couldn't stop grandma from dying. I couldn't stay with you. I couldn't do anything, I was just... I was just a weak kid. ''

"I was put in a world that I knew nothing of, a strange place. There were other kids in my room, many other kids. I didn't like having people around my stuff. The anger I had against life... I took it out on my comrades and preceptors. I hated the orphanage, I hated school, I hated the families that came to adopt me. I ran away every time. I was put in a disciplinary school. I hated that place too. ''

"All I thought of everyday, was to run away and find you again. It was the only thing in my head, for... for two years. I ran away repeatedly just so I could try and see you. But, um, after continually failing, getting caught, and punished, I lost my drive. I began settling down.''

"Before, I was the only child screeching at every little thing, now, I was the only child who never spoke a word. I completely closed myself off. It was horrible for the adoptions. No one wanted a grumpy kid approaching his teenage years—ha! that was just the worst.'' 

"But I was still taken in at the age of twelve, by Shiro's family. Our parents came by the orphanage a couple times. They wanted a second child but... couldn't, uh... couldn't conceive. So they were mostly looking at the toddlers and small kids. Then Shiro tagged along one day. He was... seventeen?—yup, he was seventeen at the time. I don't know why, but he thought I was the perfect... perfect little brother. I hated him from the start.''

"He somehow managed to convince our parents to adopt me. He later told me one of his main arguments was our age gap, he didn't want a younger sibling who wouldn't even remember his face when he came back from college...''

"Well anyway, I got adopted, and I grew attached to Shiro. He told me I shouldn't be depressed all the time—literally became a philosopher to get me out of my shell, and then we were bros for life. But... I was still... scarred, about getting attached to people. I was still sad every time I thought of you... I had stopped my feelings, I repressed everything. I didn't want to hurt anymore. Then I wondered... 'Will I even be able to love my soulmate? What if I fuck that up too?' And I kept on spiraling, again, and again, and again...''

"Eventually, I even gave up on you... I was sure that with your personality, you would have already found your soulmate... and married them. So I pretty much abandoned hope on finding my soulmate, and you.''

"Then, Shiro met Allura. He had never been happier. They moved in after one month of being together. They had really connected immediately. Ultimately, seeing me without a significant other upset him. He pressured me into finding my soulmate so I would stop being so alone... But I liked being alone. Alone meant not risking getting hurt. Alone protected me. He eventually hooked me up with one of his acquaintances which he thought had a lot of things in common with me. I went to the date, and... well, you know the rest."

Lance stared at Keith as he kept his eyes on the stars. He nudged closer to him. His right hand went to touch the man's cheek, pressing it so he would turn his head. He smiled a small smile.

"Hey..." He didn't know exactly what to say. He was sad Keith had gone through all that alone. He was glad it was over. He wanted Keith to know he felt sorry. He wanted him to see that now he could be happy. If Keith was hurting now, he wanted to help him. But he didn't know how, and it was him who was hurting. 

The guy next to him shifted so he was laying on his right side. He took Lance's hand and kissed it gently. "I know," he murmured so quietly, the crickets' chirps were covering the sound. "I'm fine now. Thanks to you. Everything is so much better with you in my life. I see the world differently now, okay? So forget I ever said those things, alright?"

The Cuban shook his head and cuddled closer to his lover. 

"Nope. I won't. This is part of you. I need to know that, like if you ever do go spiraling again, I will know how to help. I will know the reasons, and therefore I will be able to find the solutions. I'm sorry you suffered for so long... But hopefully, it's over now. I'm here, and I'll protect you. They don't call me The Great Sir Lancelot for nothing," he declared, lifting his eyebrows. 

Keith gawked at him incredulously. Tears had begun to accumulate in the corner of his eyes. "No one calls you that," he choked, still emotional over what his boyfriend had said to him.

Lance scoffed. "Pfft, yeah they do."

The dark haired man let a wave of feelings crash onto him. He started crying of gratitude, happiness, sorrow, and fear. Lance clicked his tongue repeatedly in a disapproving manner. He wiped away the streams of tears on his soulmate's face.

"Nononononono," he disagreed. "No you don't. Don't you dare cry. I don't want to see your ugly face now, I still haven't taken fully advantage of your handsome driving face."

Keith coughed up a snigger. "Shut up," he protested, lightly hitting Lance's arm. He looked up to his savior with a wide smile. He sniffed a couple times and rubbed his eyes. "Thank you."

Lance simply hummed and kissed the man's nose. He kept him close to his chest in a loving embrace. They stayed like that for quite a while, almost drifting off to sleep.

"Hey Keith?"

"Mmh?"

"I'm getting cold."

"Yup, me too," he replied sitting straight up. They both scooted down to the edge of the blanket, each taking one corner of the upper rim. They huddled together and wrapped the blanket over both of them.

"Wait, look, like this," explained Lance, picking up Keith's legs. He placed them across his own and pushed them close to his chest.

"My hands are cold," added Keith.

"Hand them over," winked the brunet. 

Keith snickered at the pun but still gave Lance his cold hands. He watched as his boyfriend kissed them dearly before clasping them under his own. He lowered the ball of hands so they were between their warm jackets. Keith rested his head on Lance's shoulder. He gazed at the moon surrounded by stars and planets which he couldn't recognize.

"I love you," he suddenly breathed out. 

His soulmate whipped his head around in astonishment. He gawked at the raven haired man for a long moment. His face softened and he was on the verge of crying.

"I love you too baby," he wailed dramatically, a bubble of joy filling his chest. Keith chuckled as he glanced up, discreetly pouting. Lance bent over to kiss the lips which were offered to him. "This is officially the best date I've ever been on. I even forgive you for betraying me earlier. And trying to kill me."

Keith couldn't help but laugh. He had the giggles that night, all thanks to the beautiful person next to him. He put his head back in the crook of Lance's neck, and the tall man rested his head on his.

"First one to see a shooting star gets to kiss the other," challenged the freckled man.

"Ooh, I like where this is going," chanted the Cuban.

They focused on the twinkling lights dotting the dark sky. With their hands bound together, they had to point to the stars with their noses. It resulted in many confusions, contortions, and cachinnations. In their rush they mistook planes for shooting stars, lightning bugs for meteors, and a drunk bat for a U.F.O. Their eyelids began putting on weight, and their eyes started stinging. Their yawns got louder, and their laughs quieter. The two lovebirds gently flew off to their nest to fall asleep in each other's arms.

 

_______________________

 

The bell hanging from the corner of the door chimed as someone entered the sweet-scented flower boutique. It was soft and melodious, but for one, it was loud and annoying.

"You're late Lance," sang Allura as her employee trudged past the potted plants to the counter where she was standing.

"Oh, did you miss me princess?" he responded winking, bags under his eyes.

"Lance, we both have boyfriends."

"Oh right, right... Sorry, I'm just a little tired," mumbled the brunet, closing his eyes and grinning. Except now that his eyes were closed, he didn't want to open them again. Allura suppressed a snort as she watered a plant.

"Mm-hm... I see," she observed Lance as he rubbed his eyes. He stretched his back then patted the lower part of it. He rocked his hips while taking small steps. He cracked his neck, and rolled his elbows, all in discomfort.

"Oh my..." sneered the beautiful woman.

"What?" Lance looked up at her after putting on the shop's green shirt. 

"I get it now... Why you're... 'tired'," she smirked deviously. The Cuban stared at her deadpan as he tried to process her innuendo. His sleepy eyes widened in distress, and his face heated up.

"Oh! Uh, no! No that's not it! You've got it all wrong!" he blurted out waving his hands around.

"Oh really? Because I would say little Keith took you out for one hell of a ri–"

"Nope! Nope that–! That never happened! Stop talking!" he shouted hiding his face in his shoulder. "We only stayed out really late and slept in the back of my car which is way to small for me, and super uncomfortable!"

Allura sighed as she plopped down on her chair. She put down the spray bottle with a disgruntled frown. "If you say so..."

Lance let out a relieved sigh. He took his pair of floral snips to cut the flowers he needed for an arrangement. 

"But you're still late, and as much as you're my favorite employee–"

"I'm your only employee."

"–I can't let it slip," declared Allura while mercilessly cutting a bud off its stem. "Unless..."

Lance stared at her wide eyed, holding his hands together. "Oh please anything but overtime, I just want to go home when this is done!" he pleaded shaking his hands.

"Unless," she repeated, "you tell me everything that happened after you two left the restaurant. I want all the sickening sweet details!" 

The brunet stood tall again. "Huh? You want to know... what happened on our... date?"

Allura slammed her hands on the working table. "Of course! You two haven't been on a real date ever since that night on the ferris wheel. I've been dying to get some news on your adorable relationship! I'm running low on prompts here," divulged the overexcited beauty, pressing her knuckles under her chin. 

Lance frowned as he picked up a strand of lace. He acquiesced, seeing no wrong to it. They discussed passionately the subject of his relationship with Keith. They didn't notice the time passing and they believed they had worked quicker than ever on the assortments. Customers came to pick up their orders, some just promptly bought bouquets, or some purchased house plants. The two florists kept buzzing around the colorful shop from the vitrine to the back of the boutique, and back to the counter. They offered small assortments to children who accompanied their parents, helped lovers pick out the perfect gift for their significant others, joked around with mothers picking up Halloween wreaths for their families. A group of old men came in at once all very well dressed. They said they were an old high school band who decided to take their wives on a "back in the days" date. Allura thought they looked incredibly adorable, and insisted on taking a group picture with them, their flowers, and their cute little polka dot neckties. At some point, a man rushed in saying he had forgotten his lunch date with his wife, and needed a small gift to raise her spirits. Another panicked customer rushed in saying it was her girlfriend's birthday but she didn't know what to get her. Lance talked to her for a while listing and explaining all the meanings the flowers could be for her partner. They ended up gossiping about facial masks and skin care which could also be considered as a sweet gift. Allura had to step in because they were about to get out of the boutique as if they had entered together. 

Lance dropped himself on a chair groaning very loudly. It was already two in the afternoon, and time for their lunch break. Allura had gone out to buy sandwiches and he was in charge of the shop. It had been an exhausting morning, and there was still two more hours before the flower boutique closed, and about thirty minutes of cleaning up and preparations for the next day. The brunet laid his head back, slowly closing his eyes. The dark curtains behind his eyelids slowly descended, nearing him to sleep.

The din of the bells above the door shook Lance out of his sleep. He jolted forward and almost fell out his chair.

Damn those cursed bells, I'll throw them out one day I swear! he threatened in his mind. 

"Hey, I'm back," greeted Allura as she dropped the paper bag on the work table.

"Hey, I heard," grumbled the Cuban sarcastically. 

"I got you coffee!"

"Oh sweet Lord, thank the Jesus!" cried out Lance pouncing on the hot beverage. He swallowed it gently, and melted as it flowed down his throat. "Mmh... I should have taken ten more of these this morning dammit."

"How many did you have?"

"Like three."

"I see," tittered Allura. She took her vest off and hung it in the back of the shop and came back with the green shirt, putting it over her casual tank top. Just before she pulled it over her shoulders Lance caught a glimpse of something. 

"Hey Allura, what's that on the back of your shoulder?"

She tensed and looked at her friend. She glanced at the covered part of her skin. "Oh, um... It's a tattoo! Shiro and I went to get one a few days ago."

Lance nodded sipping his coffee. "And can I see it?" he requested fumbling through the paper bag in search for his lunch.

"Oh, sure. Of course." She pulled the sleeve down so the brunet could clearly see. It was a beautiful, magenta, monocot flower. On each petal was a line of clear pink. A yellow spadix in the shape of a trident stuck out in between the three petals. Its stem was green with a few small leaves poking out. Behind it was the planet Earth in gray tones. The stem of the flower went around it making both objects interact.

"Woah, I can't believe you paid to get stabbed with a needle a thousand times when you already have a painless tattoo," stated Lance, cringing at the horrid thought.

"Pfft, it wasn't that bad," shot back Allura, buttoning her shirt. 

"And now Shiro has the same tattoo? A pink flower? On his shoulder?" asked the lean florist in a mocking tone. 

The white haired woman scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Well, he has the same thing but on his, the Earth is in color, and the flower is in black and white."

"Oh okay," cackled Lance, unwrapping his sandwich. "And... And now... he has a pretty, little flower on his shoulder... forever?" The more he thought of it, the funnier it got for him. Allura gave him an upset yet slightly amused look.

"Aw come on Lance, I think it's cute," she argued.

The Cuban got a hold of himself. "Yes... You're right, it is cute," he stifled a last laugh. "No but really, the tattoo is really pretty, it's some nice work."

Allura rubbed her shoulder blade smiling. "Yeah, Keith is really good, isn't he? He's actually quite talented, I'm surprised he hasn't moved into a bigger shop," she pondered aloud.

Lance swallowed the first bite of his sandwich in a rush. "I'm sorry, what?" he choked out, punching his chest.

"I said, Keith did a really good job and that he was talented," repeated Allura. "What, are you deaf now in addition to being dumb?"

"Keith is a tattoo artist?" burst out the brunet in total incredulity.

"Oh my gosh, you really are dumb."

"Seriously?" Lance put his coffee and sandwich down in order to process correctly. He clapped his hands together and rested them under his chin in thought. He extended his arms with both hands still flat against one another. "The man spends his day stabbing people for money?" he screeched quietly, unable to come to terms with the new information.

"That is not the definition of his job, but yes, he's a tattoo artist. He owns a tattoo parlor down the street," explained Allura. "Did you seriously not know about this?"

Lance shook his head furiously while staring blankly at the floor.

"You've been dating Keith for two months and you didn't think to ask about his job?"

The Cuban remained silent, insinuating a "no." 

"Oh my god, how is Keith still with you?"

"Honestly I don't know either."

Allura groaned. She didn't know if it was hilarious or plainly sad. "Lance!" she whined. "You who loves knowing everything about your partner, you didn't think of asking what he does for a living? Do you even know his favorite activity?"

"Yes—for the record it's pottery. He sucks at it but he loves it," replied the brunet. "And I forgot okay! I just assumed he... he... I thought he worked as a simple... That he was a... –I think I just presumed he was either a hitman or a really angry short person."

Allura slapped her forehead. She was going to get white hair for real with that boy. Lance threw his arms to the side while shrugging his shoulders, as if he wasn't to blame. She simply waved at him, rubbing the side of her head. The brunet shrugged and went back to eating his sandwich. Being in a relationship was hard, all he wanted was to eat and sleep, and get some love.

 

_______________________

 

The sign on the door was turned indicating the business was closed. Every plant was watered, the floor was swept clean, the flowers were nicely displayed, and the lights were turned off. The two florists hung their shirts in the back and grabbed their belongings. Allura locked the shop blinds once they were both out. They took out their car keys and got in them, both vehicles parked side by side. As both engines rumbled, they lowered their windows as usual to say goodbye.

"Thanks a lot for today Lance! Go home and get some rest," shouted the long haired woman over the sound of the car. She buckled up and pushed her sunglasses on her nose.

"No problem! But, actually could you give me the address to Keith's parlor, please?" responded the brunet.

"Ooh, are you going to pay him a surprise visit at his work?" gleamed his employer. 

"I... I just want to invite him to grab a coffee," he admitted putting on his seat belt. 

"That's so sweet! Taking the first step like that!"

"It's not the first time I ask him out! Just–... Just give me the address please!"

"Alright, alright," she giggled in defeat. "He works down this street, near the intersection of Lamsville Avenue. You shouldn't miss it, it's a nice little shop with pretty inscriptions and it's called 'Keith's Inkdom'!"

"Thanks."

_____________________

 

It was not in fact a "nice little shop", it was a huge tattoo and piercing parlor. Lance walked up to it with his jaw hanging on one screw. The entire front of the shop were large glass windows offering a view of what was inside. On the glass was written the name of the place as well as the phone number and other info. An old fashioned, wooden board hung over the door like a pub sign. On it was "Keith's Inkdom" in a beautiful calligraphy. 

Facing the broad vitrines were little tables and shelves displaying different types of piercings and earrings. Lance snuck through the door to see the inside. It was spacious and well lit. Some Nirvana was playing in the background. On one side there was a sort of waiting space with couches, magazines, and water jugs. On the other side was a cash register behind a black marble counter. On the bordeaux walls were posters of rock bands, or models, with tattoos and piercings. The ground was covered by black tiles with white lines separating each flooring. On the ceiling were black beams on which LED lights were fixated. 

There was a sort of back room not completely cut off with the rest of the shop. A simple black curtain was used as a wall. No one seemed to be in the lounge. The tall brunet took out a small flower he had picked up before leaving work. He held it close to his side as he walked through the curtain. There was Keith opposite to him, except Lance barely recognized him. He had his mullet tied in a low ponytail and his nose and mouth were covered with a mask. He had his extremely focused stare which always turned Lance on. He glanced down to his hands which were covered in latex gloves, and one was holding a tattoo gun. Once the Cuban saw his boyfriend was in the middle of needling a client, he freaked out and shrieked.

The cry startled the artist who jumped back. "OH MY GOD! What the fu–?" he shouted in fury and surprise. His eyes widened when he saw the tanned man turned around with his arms crossed over his chest, rocking himself rapidly. "Lance?" He pulled his mask down and turned off the power supply. 

"What is going on? Is something the matter?" asked the woman who was laying on her stomach, stranger to what was happening behind her. 

"Oh, um, I'm terribly sorry, no everything's fine! But what the hell are you doing here Lance?" cried out Keith turning back to his soulmate. The Cuban spun around at the mention of his name. His stance was tense and he was holding his hands behind his back. 

"I... I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to barge in," he murmured, never looking down to the needles or Keith. "I'll just... wait out here." He shuffled out behind the curtain, leaving the dark haired man in a state of alarm. 

"Who is it?" prodded the blonde.

Keith was still staring at the curtain in disbelief. He turned back to his customer in a daze. "My boyfriend... I think?" He was too sleep deprived for things like that. He picked up the tattoo machine and turned on the power.

"Wait wait wait," she interrupted holding her hand up and raising herself from the inkbed. "Why don't you greet him properly, I'll just wait for a few secs."

"What? Oh no, I can–"

"It's fine, besides my skin could use the break."

Keith looked down at the huge wolf head he was working on, which was colored half way in. He nodded and put his tools on the metal tray next to him. He quickly disinfected the skin before leaving. He threw his gloves in the trash right after. He left the mask on the tray and stood up.

"Thank you," he whispered. "But don't move, okay? The ink isn't fully incorporated yet."

The customer nodded and laid back on her arms. Keith stepped into the front room to find Lance jittering on a waiting couch. He stood up when he saw his significant other.

"Hi, um, I'm sorry, I didn't... I thought no one was there, and then I was surprised, and, uh... Sorry," he said bowing his head down. Keith walked up to him. He slipped his hands in his back pockets.

"It's... uh, fine, no harm done, you just really startled me," he replied. "But, how did you find this place? You couldn't possibly be here for a tattoo... Right?"

Lance chuckled awkwardly, shaking his head. "No no no... I... just um... I was looking for you," he confessed, presenting the red rose he had kept hidden behind his back. "And I wanted to ask you... if... you wanted to grab a coffee with me, later?" The brunet grimaced clumsily, scratching the back of his head.

Keith accepted the gift still flabbergasted. He wasn't yet over the fact that Lance had come to his workplace, to offer him a rose and ask him out, of all things. He blinked his way out of his confused haze to gawk at his boyfriend. His lips were barely parted and he raised his head. He slowly nodded, a blush creeping on his face. 

"Coffee... rose... yes... Uh! I mean... Thank you! Yes! I'd like that," stammered the short man, completely out of it. His little beating heart was just too excited by the pleasant surprise. He grinned at Lance while twirling the rose between his fingers. "I'll be right there, once I'm done with madam..."

"Oh! Sure, of course! I'll wait here, take your time!" fumbled Lance, sitting back down. Seeing Keith bashful made him flushed and thrilled. He watched as his soulmate scurried off. The man abruptly spun around and walked back to the Cuban. He bent down and kissed Lance's cheek.

"Thanks," he smiled, then darted behind the curtain. 

Completely smitten with his boyfriend, Lance grinned like a mad man while waiting for him. He listened to the tracks playing and even read a couple magazines. He couldn't stop visualizing Keith with his hair pulled up. It was the first time he had seen his hair that way. He had always thought it was ridiculous to keep it long that way, but now that he had witnessed the effects of it pulled up, he was a doomed man. 

After forty minutes of jamming to rock bands, Lance was relieved of having to wait. The client finally emerged from the back room, shortly followed by Keith. She smiled at the brunet then turned to the tattoo artist. They discussed the safety protocol, and what to do in case of infections. They chatted a moment while she paid. When everything was settled, she left the parlor after waving at both men. 

Keith went to the inkbed to clean up, and sterilize all the needles. He came back wearing a marine blue raincoat and carrying a black satchel. He had put his hair back down which upset Lance. 

"Awn, your hair," he complained, gathering his stuff and standing up.

"What about it?" muttered Keith as he locked the cash register. He quickly ran back to the secluded part of the lounge. 

"I liked it up," pouted Lance, waiting for his boyfriend at the door. He came back holding the rose the brunet had given to him earlier. It was in a lean vase with golden markings. Keith set it on the counter above the cash register. 

"There... It gives the place some life," he concluded, trotting over to Lance. "Really? I thought you hated my mullet," he jumped back onto the subject of his hair.

"Well... I wouldn't exactly say hate... More like... I find it a little stupid and old fashioned... But that was before! Now, I want to see you with your hair up all the time!"

The raven haired man crouched down to lock the protection screen to the pavement. He breathed lightly with a small smile displayed on his face. He stood up to meet Lance. "I don't know... I like my mullet. And keeping my hair tied up hurts my scalp."

"Oh please! For me! Once in a while at least!" pleaded the Cuban, shaking his boyfriend's arm. Keith hummed in consideration. He shrugged then nodded. Lance cheered, pumping his fist in the air. They walked down the street to the nearest cafe. Their arms kept bumping into each other, as if all they wanted was to be linked together. The little game of provoking and hiding quickly ended, since Lance was fed up with it. He curled his arm around Keith's and grabbed his hand. They pursued their saunter now glued side by side.

In the cozy coffee shop, the two men timidly separated themselves from one another and stood in line. Lance ordered a mocha latte and Keith a chai latte. The brunet added to the order a blueberry muffin after many minutes of reflexion. They took their beverages and single pastry, and found themselves a small table near a window. Once their coats were out of the way, they took the warm cups in their hands and hummed in glee as the drinks touched their taste buds. 

Lance watched Keith sip on his tea. He kept his coffee under his chin to let the vapor warm his face. "How come you didn't take coffee? I would have expected you to be the type to get a dark expresso or something."

His soulmate looked up from his hot beverage. He pinched a piece of muffin between two fingers and stuffed it into his mouth. "No, I don't really like coffee. It gets me too riled up. And it's never a good thing to be twitchy when working..."

"Oh right... But then how did you survive today? I've had six cups of coffee and I'm still a little drowsy!"

Keith gandered at him in surprise. He sat back against his chair and started laughing. "You won't cease to amaze me," he murmured fondly. 

Lance flinched at the comment. In front of his eyes was some sort of pink filter with floating hearts around his lover. All sound was cancelled and all he could hear was a soft melody flowing past Keith's lips. His smile became the most beautiful thing in the room—if not the world—and his squinted eyes were just too damn alluring. No matter where he looked on Keith, all he could see was perfection. The brunet covered his forehead with his hand and sighed. That love filter of his was really getting out of hand.

"Lance? Hey Lance." Keith was snapping his fingers in front of the dazed man's face. The Cuban jerked up and looked at his boyfriend. He lowered his coffee because the steam had heated his face too much, or it was the blood rushing to his head that made his cheeks burn that way. "Lance, I've been talking to a sack of potatoes instead of you for three minutes... What were you thinking of that you left had to leave Earth for?"

"I was thinking of how amazingly stunning you are," he answered frankly. The black haired man remained frozen for a second. He coughed timidly and held his cup before his red face.

"Oh... Um... Okay..." With Lance's startling reply, Keith was at loss of words. He hummed trying to place his thoughts in order. "I... I was saying... Um, asking, why the sudden gift and date? Are we... celebrating something?"

"My undying love for you."

Keith snickered softly. He sighed and raised an eyebrow, giving Lance the "no-but-seriously" look.

"Well... It's mostly to– ...I'm not really sure," admitted the Cuban. "I guess there's the fact that I love spending time with you, and I never took you out for coffee... But I think it's mostly because I felt bad for not asking and knowing about your job... It made me realize I don't know a lot or little, or big things about you. Soulmates are supposed to know things about you, that even yourself had no idea of. Me, I'm not sure I know anything about you... And it made me scared... I didn't want you to be with someone who knew nothing of you. So I figured I'd take you out to talk..."

The short man reached out to hold Lance's hand. "Do you know my full name?"

"...yes."

"My address?"

"Yes."

"My number?"

"Mh-hm."

"Birthday?"

"Yes."

"Allergies?"

"Yes?"

"How much I love and care for you?"

"...I guess, maybe?"

Keith smiled. "Then you already know enough. The rest is nonsense. You don't need to know my favorite color, or what I like to drink. You just need to know who I am, and that I will always love you."

"But do I even know who you are?" questioned Lance, afraid there were many facets of his personality he didn't know yet. Did he really know "Keith"? His Keith?

"I guarantee you, you are the only person in this world who knows me better than anyone. You know how to make me laugh, smile, cry. You know how to surprise me, make me angry, annoy me to death. You know how to take care of me, how to talk to me. You know all these small, easy-to-forget things about me. I don't understand why you're thinking this when just last night you proved to know a lot about me. You probably don't realize it, but I doubt anyone could clone me without you noticing something's wrong."

"True true," approved the brunet with a smirk. "But still... Why didn't you tell me you were a rad tattoo artist?"

"You're afraid of needles. I didn't want you coming around and having a fit like today."

"Oh right... Logical... But still!" he exclaimed in disagreement. His boyfriend simply rolled his eyes. 

"Well, as compensation, you have to answer this. Do you have a tattoo?"

Keith chortled in his tea. He gazed at his lover with playful hesitation. He gave in with a nod. Lance slammed his coffee down on the table.

"Oh my god! Where is it? I haven't seen it yet so it must be on your butt! No? Then your foot! Seriously? Then... Between your toes? No, right, that's on me... Um... Ooh! Behind your stupid mullet! ...Damn!"

The freckled man was having the time of his life teasing his soulmate. He proudly sipped his chai latte while denying the whereabouts of his tattoo. Their game continued for quite a while, Lance was determined to get the answer right. 

 

_______________________

 

The lights in the living room and kitchen of Lance's house were seeping through the windows into the dark neighborhood. The man parked his car in the driveway which was already packed with two cars. Keith stepped out of his vehicle a couple yards from the house. The couple entered and were greeted by their friends in the living room. They were called in during their date by Hunk who said they needed to get to their place quick. There was Shay, and Pidge, but also Shiro, Allura, and Coran. 

"Shiro? I didn't think you'd be here as well," mentioned Keith taking his raincoat off.

Pidge stood on their knees to peek over the couch. "Where were you guys? We texted you a thousand times telling you to get your asses over here!"

"There was traffic, we couldn't help it!" explained Lance pushing his tiny friend into the sofa. They jerked back up with a scowl.

"You could have at least texted us that you were coming. We thought you would ditch us," they retaliated, crossing their arms on the armrest.

The lean brunet chuckled shyly. "Actually, we didn't notice your texts... Keith and I were on the phone the entire way, so we didn't hear the notifications."

Pidge cringed, rolling on their back and spreading their legs over Hunk. "Ew, you can't even spend fifteen minutes without your boyfriend? Are you afraid you'll forget you have one, Goldfish?" they teased. 

Lance stuffed a pillow in their face and pressed down on it. "Shush you. I love him okay?" he responded sticking his tongue out. 

"Alright, that's enough now," ordered Hunk, pushing Lance away from their housemate. "Shiro and Allura have something to tell us, and it must be important otherwise they wouldn't have done it in person. Oh my god, is someone dead? Is someone dying? Oh my god! It's Shiro isn't it?"

The tall man flinched in confusion. "What? No! I'm not– We're fine, no one's dying," he cleared out, feeling a migraine coming. Hunk slouched back into the couch with a long, relieved sigh. 

"No, it's quite the opposite," chimed in Allura, "we have some good news."

The couple were both sitting on some stools in front of all their close friends. They looked at each other and nodded, intertwining their hands. 

"We're getting married," they announced together. Everyone looked at them with huge eyes, and jaws skinning the floor. Suddenly an eruption of happy cries broke the silence. Pidge and Shay jumped onto Allura, congratulating her. Hunk, Coran, Keith, and Lance shook Shiro's hand, hugged him, and patted him on the back, glad for their friend. 

"When did this happen?" inquired Shay, fanning herself to try and dry the tears before they leaked.

Allura chortled as she wiped her eyes. "Last night, at the restaurant, after you left. Shiro had made reservations for just us two, but in the end we all went in," she laughed, patting her fiancé's arm.

"Oh no, we must have caused a lot of stress!" exclaimed Shay, horrified.

"No it was fine, that wasn't the worst part at all... The worst part was having to wait for Allura to stop ripping her paper napkin, and give me an answer," disclosed Shiro, wrapping his arm around his soulmate's shoulders. The room awned collectively.

"Wait," interrupted Lance, looking at the floor deep in thought. "So that's why you wore your Gucci sunglasses and belt assortment today! You only wear those when you're especially happy!"

Keith glanced up at his boyfriend, incredulous. "You mean to tell me you noticed a pair of sunglasses over an engagement ring?"

The Cuban stood silent wearing a sheepish grin. Allura giggled as she held her hand in front of her.

"To be fair I had gardening gloves most of the day," she pointed out.

"Ha!" shouted Lance, snapping his fingers at Keith, too excited about winning the argument. He straightened up and crossed his arms. "Plus she said boyfriend, not fiancé..."

"What?"

"Nothing..."

The long haired woman picked up on what the brunet had grumbled. She shrugged and hid her hands between her thighs.

"That's true, I did say that... Sorry," she grinned. "I guess I'm still not used to it... Actually, I still can't believe it..." She looked up to Shiro dearly. He smiled back and pecked her lips gently. 

"So anyway," continued the dark haired man, snaking his arm around his fiancée's waist, "we wanted you to be the first to know, and the first to be invited to our wedding... What do you say?"

All the people in the room cried out enthusiastically in union.

"Yes of course!"

They applauded their friends and congratulated them some more. Lance raised his hand in the air while making a statement.

"I just have one request!" he declared with a stern face.

Shiro rolled his eyes with a smile. "No Lance, you can't be the flower girl..."

The brunet snapped his fingers in disappointment and cursed under his breath, "Darn!" He raised his head with one hand over his chest and the other behind his back. "But that wasn't actually what I wanted to ask," he divulged slightly bending forward.

"Then what is it?" asked Allura, amused. 

"I want to be the one to style the bride's hair!" 

His friends stared at him, always entertained by the Cuban's weird behaviour. The couple processed the peculiar request.

"And you'd be able to take care of that?" jeered Keith, pulling a chair and straddling it. He rested his arms over the rear and watched his boyfriend with amusement. Lance threw his hands on his hips.

"Uh, duh! I've had plenty of practice on my sisters! Who do you think did their hair from kindergarten to prom?" he announced proudly. 

Allura smiled sweetly. She gazed at Shiro for approval. He gave a long sigh, but acquiesced. The beautiful woman laughed gleefully, holding her hands in the air. "Yes you can!"

Lance cheered and went to high-five her. He started babbling about hair brushing technics, hair accessories, types of hairdos, and sparkles. Suddenly, he whipped around and pointed at Keith who was looking at nothing in particular. The unexpected gesture snapped him out of his daze and he raised his head, attention on his soulmate.

"You. Keith. You will be my lab rat until I master the art," proclaimed the brunet. The short man dropped his arms to his sides.

"Why me?" he asked, desperate.

"Because your hair is long, and soft, and fluffy, and because I want to braid your hair so badly. You can't say no because you love me."

Shiro walked up to Keith and placed his hand on his brother's shoulder. He said nothing, simply shook his head desolated. The black haired man looked from his sibling to the rest of the room, searching for answers.

"What? What is that supposed to mean?" His eyes darted to everyone but they all cast their eyes down with a hidden smirk. "Guys!"

Then out of the blue Lance was fondling with Keith's hair, picking up strands and twirling them. "Okay, we'll have to properly rinse them, then brush them, then I could curl your hair," started planning the over-passionate man. 

His soulmate squirmed and whined. He gave up after realizing it was futile to ask Lance to let go of his hair. He leaned against the chair letting the brunet's long fingers play with his dark locks. It actually wasn't that bad. The feeling of the other's nails against his skull brought him closer to falling asleep. The pleasurable sensation sent shivers down his spine. Just like a kitten, he felt like purring against his lover's touch.

"So! Till when must I be ready?" exclaimed Lance, fingers still dancing on Keith's head. 

"Right! If all goes well," announced Allura, never looking away from her fiancé, "the ceremony will take place in Ocean's hotel on the fourteenth of February. It's more like a huge beach house that we are going to rent, so it's not really a hotel."

"On St. Valentine's Day?" squealed Hunk, holding his hands under his chin in excitement. "It's so romantic!"

"Truly the perfect date indeed," declared Coran, placing his hand in front of his mouth in a thoughtful way. "The angel of love himself will certainly bless your union!" 

A new wave of chatter rose as the group discussed the ceremony. Shiro made his way through the racket to his younger brother. The latter was half asleep talking to Lance about the type of food there would be at the wedding, and who would eat the most without passing out. The older sibling pointed behind him, motioning to talk to Keith in private. Lance removed his hands from his boyfriend's hair, and let him get up. He took the seat in the meantime, sitting down just like Keith was before. He watched as the brothers stood secluded from the chittering group. He observed Shiro's stern expression while he talked, and Keith's focused frown as he listened. At some point, the short man smiled softly and nodded. They awkwardly shook hands, which turned into a loving hug. Shiro stuck his little brother's head in the crook of his elbow and ruffled his hair in excitement. Keith complained, trying to undo himself from the muscular death trap. He was finally able to stagger off somewhat unharmed. He noticed Lance was sitting in his spot. He trailed his fingers over the man's arm, up to his jaw, and back of the neck.

"That's my seat," he murmured in his lover's ear. Lance quivered feeling the breath roll down his skin.

"Sorry, not anymore."

Keith nudged the brunet gently. "Come on, move."

"No... Go away," insisted Lance laughing. 

"I'll let you sit on my lap."

Lance was up in half a second pushing the chair forward. Keith burst out laughing as he sat down. His soulmate immediately landed right on his thighs. The raven haired man groaned at the sudden impact.

"Ugh! You fat hippo, you're crushing me," he complained wrapping his arms around Lance's waist.

"Shut up you ugly mole rat," retorted the Cuban, leaning back against his boyfriend. 

"Now I'm really offended," pouted Keith, pinching Lance's ribs. His hand was swatted away with a yelp. He tugged on the brunet's waist, bringing him closer to him. He rested his cheek on the other's back, and observed their friends. 

Everyone was wearing a huge smile on their faces. Pidge and Hunk were reenacting a wedding walk together, Hunk as the bride. Coran, Allura, and Shay were fake throwing petals in total hysteria. Shiro was holding a blanket over Hunk's head which was a veil in that scenario. At some point they began trudging forward like robots for no apparent reason. Coran swooped Pidge up and held them up as they pronounced Hunk and Shiro, husband and wife. They bowed down and fake arm wrestled when "you may kiss the bride" was proclaimed. Allura swooped in and stole the bouquet which was a small, square pillow. She cheered saying it was her turn. She pulled Shiro down by his collar to kiss him. Their little play was a complete mess with roles overlapping, and silly props, but they had a great time celebrating the merry news. 

Keith rubbed his face against Lance's back. "I can't wait for the ceremony," he confessed, watching his friends dearly.

"Really?"

"Yeah... I really like weddings, although I've only been to one."

Lance sighed and looked at Shiro and Allura's gleaming faces. "I'm happy for them. It was about time."

"Mmh... It's going to be an amazing ceremony," chuckled Keith. His significant other curled his back to lay his head on the short man's shoulder.

"I can't believe they refused to give me the role of the flower girl. I would have made an adorable flower girl, don't you think sweetie?" teased Lance, cupping Keith's face. 

"O' coursh," he replied with his cheeks pressed together, giving him fish lips. The brunet guffawed and let go of his poor boyfriend's face.

"So, what role did they give you?"

Keith raised an eyebrow in slight surprise. Lance had always had a certain intuition that the black haired man never understood, especially since he barely ever used it relevantly. He crossed his arms over the Cuban's chest.

"I'm Shiro's best man," he declared in a snobbish tone.

"Ooh nice," responded Lance, turning Keith's head towards his. "But are you really the best man there is?"

The freckled man smirked slyly. He pinched his boyfriend's cheeks from under his chin, earning a snicker. "I'm the best man you'll ever get," he retorted, passionately smashing his lips onto Lance's force-puckered ones. They laughed together, keeping their noses pressed together. 

"Hey, Shrek and Donkey, get over here, we need two buffoons to play the human sacrifices," called out Pidge.

Keith widened his eyes and guffawed. "What kind of sick wedding are you all attending?" he questioned with a squeamish smile.

Lance stood up pulling his boyfriend with. "Wait, which one of us is supposed to be Donkey?" he remarked sauntering over to where their friends were. "Because I refuse to be anything else than our great lord Shrek the Great, the Gross."

"Shut your meme trap and go get burned at the stake," ordered Keith pushing the brunet forward. 

Very quickly their little play escalated to an unimaginable mess. The harmless wedding turned into a full reproduction of the Titanic, mashed up with The Lion King. There weren't even roles or parts anymore, people were just quoting or mimicking scenes from different movies. The evening ended in pizza movie night despite it being a Monday. Everyone was sprawled over the living room with boxes of pizzas stacked up on the floor. Pretty much no one was paying attention to the movie, and were instead having small conversations of their own. Shiro and Allura were cuddling in the large couch, watching over their friends. It was only with their silly group that a simple announcement of good news could lead to three deaths, two remarriages, a missing goat, and a burping contest. In the end, it was a pretty emotional evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya all! Like we promised it came soon!
> 
> Next chapter is the last one sadly ;-; It'll take a while bc we both want some free time in our breaks, but no worries!  
> It'll be here soon enough!
> 
> Word count; 11584
> 
> Thank you for your patience and we hope you liked it! ^-^
> 
> [PS] I was second place out of 8 wth the lasertag game ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) I'm great at sneaking up on the other team members and shooting their ass in face to face combat-  
> I failed as an assassin and sharpshooter though, I had the lowest accuracy of the whole group xD (4.8%)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uh yeah
> 
> We’re finally back
> 
> FLUFF

The day long anticipated finally came. It was a beautiful February afternoon. The sun was shining, the wind kept clouds away, and love was wafting through the air; truly it was the perfect day for a wedding.

Our favorite latino checked himself out in the mirror. He brushed his hair back with water and some gel. His fingers ran through the strands pushing them down. His curls flattened out under the water and gel, occasional rebels sticking out behind his ears or near his nape. Lance dried his hands and tugged on his blue bow tie, making sure it was centered perfectly. He tucked his white shirt into his light gray trousers once more and strut out the bathroom. He picked up his cloud-grey blazer which was carefully wrapped in a plastic dry-cleaning bag, took it out of its protection, and slid it over his shoulders. He turned over to his boyfriend who was standing in front of the body length mirror in the corner of the room.

“Okay, do I look good?” Lance spoke out in concern. He walked up to Keith and peeked over his shoulder. The shorter man looked at Lance through the mirror then took a step to the side, letting his lover’s figure appear in the glass.

“Handsome as always babe,” he huffed out in a soft tone, looking over at his boyfriend with adoring eyes. He turned around to face Lance in his tailored suit, admiring the sight.

The brunet smiled as he contemplated Keith’s attire as well. He wore a matching light grey suit with a red bow tie around his neck. His hair was tied up into a low and short ponytail, not much hair sticking out from the rubber band. His fringe fell on the right side of his forehead although the strands on his left side were pinned down. He also had some gel to help the hair stay put. His hairstyle was between groomed and wild—classy enough for the ceremony but tousled enough to remind his personality—the perfect hairstyle for Keith Kogane.

Lance brushed the non-existent dust of Keith’s shoulders, laying his hands on them afterwards. He stared into his lover’s eyes as the latter smiled tenderly. Keith readjusted Lance's bow before standing on his toes and pecking the brunet's nose. The Latino placed his hands on his boyfriend’s hips, edging him closer. They were pressed against against each other, and, for a moment, they left the Earth. Gazing into one another’s eyes led to a journey through the stars. Their foreheads were connected, creating a single world between both men, a single thought, a single emotion, a single bond. Keith breathed out in content, smiling as his eyes closed pleasantly, allowing him to join the dance of the stars around them. He rubbed his nose against his compagnon’s with a smile. Their hands were dotingly clasped on each other, either around the neck or on the hips. They soared through galaxies in unison just by looking into the other’s soul which reflected their own.

Just as their bodies were getting even closer, as their journey reached its peak, they were called back to their home planet, robbed of the dotted canvas which had become their haven. The old-fashioned clock on the wall began ringing reminding both men of the time. A quarter past three. The ceremony would begin near half past four.

“Let's check upon the groom,” whispered Lance although he very much loved where he was at the moment.

“Mhm,” hummed his soulmate. He leaned up to briefly connect his lips to his lover's, sealing the kiss they were deprived of seconds ago. The contact was achingly brief, but it was enough to exchange the intense feelings between the two individuals. Keith pulled back and flashed his soulmate a small grin. He picked up the small rose bud from the dresser and clipped it to Lance’s chest pocket. The brunet did the same with the Himalayan blue poppy which was set beside the red flower and gently stuck it into Keith’s pocket.

“Let's go,” he said.

They intertwined their hands and stepped out of the room. At the end of the hall was their destination: a door with a lot of clamor coming from behind it. Lance wanted to knock, but Keith just barged in. Their hands separated as they entered the chaotic room. Keith walked up to a stressing and pacing Shiro.

“Shiro stand still!” urged Hunk once again as he tried to fix the back of Shiro's white suit. He noticed the couple enter and let out a sigh. “It’s about time you two! One of you get here and help me out please!”

Keith clasped his hands on his older brother’s shoulders. He smiled up at him and patted his arms. “Bro, calm down. Everything’s going to be just fine,” he chuckled as he fixed the pink flower clipped to the tuxedo’s satin lapel.

“Raise a glass to freedom, something you will never see again,” sang Lance, joking around with some of his favorite quotes. Keith hushed him with an unamused glare.

“I just– What if she gets tired of me? What if she’s not ready? What if she says no?” Shiro tried to justify his stress. Keith took a step back as the groom turned around to the mirror, looking over himself in a hurry.

“Dude, she's your soulmate, you two are perfect for each other, literally,” reassured Lance, rolling his eyes. He stepped behind the younger brother, locking his arms around his waist and resting his chin on Keith's shoulder. The shorter man leaned back into the comforting touch.

Shiro looked at the two lovebirds through the reflection of the mirror, a smile grazed his features tenderly. He knew Lance was right. Seeing the young couple reminded him of Allura and himself. A sense of tranquility washed over him as he anticipated the years to come in the arms of his beloved, just as Keith and Lance were at that moment. He felt it deep in his heart and knew that there was no one other than Allura, and he knew that she felt the same way he did. He glanced back to his own reflection with a confident smile.

“Uhh,” Keith groaned as he left the comfort of Lance's arms, scratching his neck.

“What's wrong, Mullet?” asked the tall brunet, adding the nickname he loved.

“Could you–maybe... fix my hair for me?” requested Keith, his cheeks tinting crimson in embarrassment. His hair was fine since he had just pinned it up, but he wanted an excuse for Lance to fiddle in his hair before the ceremony.

The Latino smirked. “Sure thing, love.” He brushed the hair which was already pinned down making sure no strands were perking out. He tightened the ponytail ensuring no bumps formed on Keith’s head. He pushed the fringe to the side to clear the man’s twinkling eyes. “There you go.” Lance smiled at the adorable sight of his boyfriend.

Keith smiled and pecked his lover’s cheek. “Thanks, honey,” he whispered. 

They had a friendly rivalry going on with sickeningly sweet nicknames for a while now. Whoever said the most or the cheesiest or the most embarrassing pet names won. What they would win was still uncertain, but their little game was entertaining and adorable, so they just kept at it.

“Alright, I'm going to help the princess,” Lance informed, kissing Keith's forehead. “I'll see y’all at the ceremony,” he said snapping his fingers and stepping away from his boyfriend. Before he could do so completely, Keith cupped the side of Lance's neck and pulled him down to kiss him on the lips. The small gesture made the lean man beam out in joy.

“Love you,” whispered Keith against his boyfriend’s lips.

“I love you more,” murmured Lance in return.

As they pulled away they flashed each other a small smile.

“Later!” chirped the cheery man as he opened the door winking at his friends. He closed it behind him and strut down the hall.

The hotel had been rented for the occasion and other than the invitees, no other customers were present. It was an old fashioned villa which was usually rented for such events. It had three floors, one with the reception, kitchen, dining room, lounge, and dance room. The two other floors were rooms with a couple small salons and an antique library. The walls were covered with old paintings and golden lamps. The wooden furniture weighed down on the creaking floors. Flowers colored the halls and rooms. On the ceiling were old designs adding originality to the normally flat surface. All in all, the place was cozy and very romantic, adding life to its still being. The big building was stood looming over the beach. A grass field stretched out from behind the terrace to the edge of the dunes separating the land with the ocean. That was where the ceremony would be held, hearts to the sea. Seats were lined up until a flower arc, just before the golden waves would mix with the green soil. The vows would be spoken facing the endless horizon, a promise of infinite love between two souls shared with a never-ending body of mystery, life and adventure. The party would be situated on the ground floor, which was a large decorated room.

Lance arrived at the end of the hallway. He stood facing a large wooden door, from which a lot of rustling could be heard. He knocked several times and heard erratic shuffling. The door was opened with a slam by the little gremlin Lance loved to name Pidge. 

For the occasion, they wore a suit-dress. This peculiar outfit consisted of the same light gray blazer as Lance, Keith and Hunk over a white shirt with a long white skirt stopping over the knees but trailing behind to their heels. The rim of the fluffy skirt was tinted light green, barely perceptible. Over their waist was a pastel green sash making the transition between both styles easier. Matching that sash was a simple bow tie under their collar. The outfit was very classy and very original, Pidge looked positively good wearing it.

“Took you long enough,” they muttered as they pulled Lance inside the room. Allura was sitting down brushing her hair in front of her vanity—she always fumbled with her hair when she was nervous.

“No worries, I'm here now,” chuckled Lance. 

He went over to a wooden desk where various hair products and accessories were placed. He took the equipment he needed for the hairdo Allura had asked for. Naturally, the pair had practiced the hair style various times ensuring the brunet wouldn't mess it up right before the wedding. After twenty minutes of intensive styling and chattering, they were done. Allura's beautiful white hair was braided then twirled up into a low bun. Her front hair was parted in the middle with two loose strands Lance had pulled out, curling around her radiant face. Soft pink pearls were added into her bun as well as sparkling barrettes. She looked absolutely stunning.

“Alright, we're running late, let's get you into your dress,” said Pidge as they carefully took the wedding dress out of the plastic bag.

“You did great on her make-up Pidge,” complimented Lance as he looked over Allura's face for any imperfections.

“I tried,” stated Pidge firmly as they pushed Lance into a corner and told him to turn around, forbidding him to peek. Lance complied. He heard a lot of rustling again and a few curses from both Allura and Pidge. Finally he heard a zipper.

“Alright, Lance, tell us your thoughts,” inquired Pidge, their tone laced with excitement.

Lance spun around. His eyes widened upon gazing at the angel in front of him. “Wow...” was all he could muster.

Allura wore a gorgeous gown which showed off her classy fashionista side. The heart-shaped corset was a light baby blue—almost hinting towards lavender—with small pink flowers and a few white ones trailing along the rim. The satin chest piece was covered in glitter with occasional pink buds. A silver chain with small white pearls decorating it went from the center of the corset around the bride’s neck. Small sleeves made from flower embroidery hung under her shoulders to the middle of her forearm, leaving the arms and shoulders bare but adding delicacy to the assemble. The rest of the gown flowed down to the floor, rippling over the smooth surface. The light blue cloth was covered with a clear, white material where pink and white flowers were embroidered. The flowers gathered at the edge of the dress and slowly scattered up the skirt giving the impression the petals had fallen from their branches to be swept away in sweet-scented heaps. Over that were more glitter and sparkles making the dress even more magical. Allura twirled around showing off that glistening bouquet. Her back was uncovered, the corset only covering her chest. The rim of it was sprinkled with more delicate petals, joining the stream along the way. The silver chain around her neck had a long chain dangling along her spine with thin silver branches hanging out to clasp onto the sea of pink buds. They allowed a perfect view of Allura’s unique tattoo. Entwined with those chains were more small pearls. With the light, the beads and glitter beamed brightly as do waves kissed by the sun’s rays. The colors of the gown married well together and every detail added to its charm. For her special day, Allura would be a princess in pink and blue, and radiant beauty.

“I... just, wow.” Lance laughed at himself for not finding words. “Shiro's one hell of a lucky man to be honest, you look breathtaking Allura,” murmured Lance in the most sincere way one good give a compliment.

Allura fanned her eyes, the simple yet touching words making her want to cry. “Thank you, Lance,” she smiled brightly. Lance grinned back holding two thumbs up.

“Welp, Allura, it's time,” Pidge announced in a nervous tone.

“I–I'm not ready–what if I ruin my dress? Do I look good enough, will he really like my outfit? Am I doing the right thing?” Allura started freaking out, toying with her curls nervously.

“Allura, you are the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen, and this is not just vain flattery, this is the truth,” started Lance. “I understand you’re nervous, but I really don’t think that’s necessary. I know as a fact that Shiro would marry you in a potato sack if it ever did come to that, so don’t worry about ruining anything. You look perfect for your perfect day. And I don’t know if you’re doing the right thing but I do trust your decisions, and you should too. You are very smart and you know what’s good for you. Therefore I doubt you’d be marrying Shiro if that meant anything bad for you. Besides, he’s your soulmate, you two are meant to be, and it’s time to give yourselves that dream ceremony you deserve.”

Allura couldn’t help it and began tearing up. She hugged the tall brunet tightly, whispering a thousand thank you’s. Lance pulled back and gave her a reassuring smile. He rubbed his moist eyes and held her hands. “Let's go Princess, it’s time.”

Pidge grumbled picking up their makeup and running over to Allura, quickly fixing the bride’s face before it got out of hand. They swatted Lance away cursing at him. The latter simply left after throwing a couple finger guns of good luck.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Pidge hurried to the front of the aisle and stood on the left hand side of the altar which was a simple, white, wooden stage. They fixed their bow tie and hair making sure to be the best bridesminion Allura could wish for. In the center was the priest holding a bible. Shiro was standing to his left, therefore on the right of the aisle, and Keith stood a little further to the side. The groom faced the open waters with a growing ball of nerves. He was afraid to turn around and face the anticipating crowd, but worst of all—and maybe also best of all—he didn’t know what to expect, so adrenaline rushed through his body, crazing his mind. He stared at the crashing waves in an attempt to calm down. Pidge gave him a reassuring smile when he glanced towards them upon their arrival. Keith looked down the aisle seeing the last guests taking their seats. Lance made his way to the front row, and took a seat next to Hunk. The brunet smiled at his boyfriend a few meters in front of him before winking at him. Keith smiled back with adoring eyes.

In the rows of chairs were the groom and bride’s families and friends mingled together in whichever seat pleased them. There was a lot of chattering and many acquaintances were being made. Everyone was excited and emotional, and their clamor conveyed those feelings.

Suddenly the music started playing the famous “Here Comes the Bride.” The loud gossiping died down and turned into whispers. The guests turned around impatiently to see the bride walking up. Shiro took a deep breath, a drop of sweat running down his temple.

Everyone looked to the back, as Allura came into sight, Coran by her side. Some gasped, and Lance heard someone let out a cry that sounded like a held back sob. He simply smiled in overwhelming pride. He rapidly glanced back at Shiro, who had his his right hand clenched in front of his mouth, tears rolling down his cheeks. 

His eyes glued themselves to Allura, and everyone around him disappeared instantly. He was chuckling through his tears with his heart frantically pounding in his chest. The image of Allura walking up the aisle with her beaming smile and glowing eyes was being forever engraved in his mind.

As they reached the altar, Coran left the bride’s side with a pat on her shoulder. She thanked him and he winked playfully, kissing her forehead and whispering a heartfelt reminder. He nodded to Shiro then took a seat beside Lance. Allura walked up the three steps and onto the platform. Her smile shined solely for Shiro. It withheld so many emotions—Lance couldn't make out any of them except one: love. Her smile was full of love, her eyes beamed and sparkled of joy. Just like the ocean in Cuba on a warm summer day from when he was very young. He still remembered it perfectly, and Allura's blue eyes reflected just that.

Shiro took Allura's hands in his. He was grinning ear to ear. He murmured to his beloved how beautiful she looked, and thanked her for making him the luckiest man alive. The bride let out a small laugh trying to hold back tears—to no avail. The loving couple stared in each other’s eyes for what seemed an eternity, until they were reminded to settle back down on earth for just a few moments more.

“Dear beloved ones, family and friends, we have joined here today to share with Allura Fara and Takashi Shirogane, an important moment in their lives. In their time together, they have seen their love and understanding of each other grow and blossom, and now they have decided to live out the rest of their lives as one,” the priest spoke out. “If any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together in matrimony, let them speak now, or forever hold their peace.”

Everyone looked around, as for why these soulmates couldn't be together. Nobody stood up so the priest nodded and went on reciting biblical poems. During this time however, Lance's attention was only focused on Keith. He smiled slightly—he just loved him so much. Hunk elbowed Lance in the ribs to get his attention. The Cuban frowned at his friend who nodded toward the altar.

It was time for the vows.

“I, Allura Fara, take you, Takashi Shirogane, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part. You're my soulmate, my other half, I was made for you, and I wouldn't want it any other way. I love you," Allura spoke out, squeezing Shiro's hands a little tighter.

“I, Takashi Shirogane, take you, Allura Fara to be my wife, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our union and love you more each day than I did the day before. I will trust you and respect you, laugh with you and cry with you, loving you faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles we may face together. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from this day forward for as long as we both shall live.”

Allura teared up, as Shiro carefully wiped the droplets away. The priest said some final words and it was time for the the exchange of rings.

“I, Allura Fara, give you, Takashi Shirogane, this ring—” Pidge handed her the ring from a small cushion. “—as an eternal symbol of my love and commitment to you.”

Allura took Shiro's hand and slid the ring on his annular. Shiro smiled with tears in the corner of his eyes. He gazed into his soulmate’s, never breaking the connection as he spoke.

“I, Takashi Shirogane, give you, Allura Fara, this ring—“ Keith carefully gave Shiro the golden ring, between tears of his own. “—as an eternal symbol of my love and commitment to you.”

“By the power vested in me by the state of Allura and Takashi, I now pronounce you, husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride,” announced the priest taking a step back and closing his bible.

And with that, Shiro swept Allura into his arms and sealed their lips together, dipping her in the process. Lance heard family and friends whistle and scream, clapping their hands together. Some people were bursting out in tears, others finally stopped crying. Lance looked up at Keith as they gave each other a smile once again. They clapped furiously and even whistled a few times.

Allura and Shiro pulled back from each other, and a tear slipped down Lance's cheek. He didn't know why, he was just so happy for the two. Weddings always got him emotional.

“I present to you the newly wedded couple, Allura and Takashi Shirogane!” The priest smiled and Allura intertwined her hand with Shiro's.

They walked down the aisle, as everyone stood up, throwing rose petals at the couple. Lance stood up applauding along side with Hunk and Coran. The brunet felt someone tug at his smoking. As he turned around he was suddenly met by a pair of very soft lips onto his own. Lance smiled into the kiss as he wrapped his arms around Keith's waist. They parted and contemplated one another’s eyes before turning back to the aisle where their friends were happily walking away.

___________________

 

Keith sat on the side of one of the tables, alone. He watched some children attempting to dance on the dance floor between some of the adults, and others playing tag around the room. Shay had finally arrived too, she sadly couldn't attend the ceremony, but she did make it to the party. She was standing beside Hunk, who was talking to someone who Keith didn't know. Dinner had already been served, the cake had already been cut, all that was left was to drink and dance one’s heart out.

The dark haired man sighed, looking around for familiar faces. He spotted Pidge who was taking pictures. Shiro had hired them to photograph the party in addition to the professional photograph who had immortalized the ceremony while they were on the altar. Keith’s eyes searched for the handsome, tall mob of brown hair and cheeky, yet smug, grin he loved. But he was nowhere to be found. Keith pouted slightly, leaning his cheek on his hand. He was lonely once again.

Suddenly the music stopped playing to make place for an announcement. “Attention everyone, please clear the dance floor, to allow the newly wedded couple to steal the spotlight. Mr and Mrs Shirogane please step forward,” the DJ's voice sounded out.

Everyone stood to the side leaving space in the center of the room. Shiro was being pulled against his will by Allura who was much too excited. The man smiled in defeat and swept his love off her feet carrying her to the dance floor. He put her down gently and received a soft kiss from the princess. A soft tune started playing in the background, as Shiro delicately wrapped his arms around Allura's waist. She pulled him closer by crossing her arms around his neck, pressing her chest against his.

A voice began singing and Keith recognised the song immediately, “Can't Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley.

“Wise men say: only fools rush in. But I can't help falling in love with you.”

Allura rested her head against Shiro's chest, closing her eyes. Keith found himself smiling too, considering he was proud that Allura was now his family too.

“Lovebirds, now’s your chance to join the happy couple,” added the DJ smugly after a while.

Suddenly, people surrounding the dance floor formed pairs—either with their partners, friends, family, or newly acquainted children—and shuffled to the center encircling the bride and groom. Others either stood on the side watching and chattering or went to sit down.

Keith felt a pair of arms wrap around his shoulders, creating a familiar feeling. A chin pressed against his nape and a wave of soft, warm words spilled out of lips held much too close to his skin.

“May I have this dance?” inquired Lance with a charming smile.

“Oh, so now you wanna spend time with me?” Keith muttered pushing Lance off of him. He knew he was being childish but he was hurt that the former had abandoned him earlier.

Instead of retreating a comment at Keith's snarky attitude, Lance cupped the short Asian’s cheeks, smiling a goofy smile.

“I went to the restroom, idiot,” he chuckled kissing Keith's forehead. “C'mon, the song's almost over.” Lance forcefully heaved Keith with him as he protectively wrapped his arms around his soulmate. 

Keith gave in, pouting nonetheless. “You're making it hard for me to be mad at you, y'know,” he sighed. Resting his palms against Lance's chest, his fingers curled over his shoulders, his head nuzzled in his safe spot—the crook of Lance’s neck—and Keith let himself be swept away by the tender song and soft caresses.

The song repeated the chorus one last time, enticing the crowd.

“Shall I stay? Would it be a sin? If I can't help falling in love with you.”

Lance held Keith a little closer, kissing the top of his head. “Sorry for not telling you I went to the restroom,” he said softly.

“Take my hand, take my whole life too. For I can't help falling in love with you.”

It wasn't like Lance to apologize first, and much less without putting up a small fight. Something was up, but the small circles that Lance pressed on Keith's back made all his worries disappear, so he leaned more into his boyfriend’s chest and snuggled his nose closer into his neck. The smell of the Latino’s skin mixed with sweat and musk was so intoxicating to Keith that all his other senses were lost just to breathe in the scent. Keith liked the feeling of being held once in a while. Even if he rarely asked for embraces or gave the impression he would never want any, they were more often welcome than not, especially if they were Lance’s hugs. The feeling of being protected from the world was a sensation any person could yearn for, and Keith was no exception. He appreciated keeping Lance safe from the cruelties of life yet sometimes he was the one who needed safekeeping.

“I love you, mi amor,” confided Lance into Keith's hair with a deep breath. The dark haired man smiled as he pecked the skin of Lance's neck.

“I love you too,” he replied softly. He just couldn't contain his smile, so it spread across his face.

“For I can't help, falling in love with, you.”

The song came to an end and another slow one came on. Keith started tensing up. Lance noticed and looked around them. Reluctantly he pushed Keith off of him a little, immediately starting to feel cold and empty.

“Too crowded?” Lance asked gently. Keith nodded stepping closer to his boyfriend once again while side-eying the swarming guests. The Latino took his lover's hand and intertwined their fingers, pulling him off of the dance-floor and towards the door. Other couples made their way towards the edge of the dancing crowd including Hunk and Shay. All four smiled to each other and silently parted ways as Lance and Keith exited the party room to go outside.

They stepped into the fresh air and Keith breathed out a relieved sigh. A few people were outside smoking or simply breathing in the scent of the sea. Beyond the waves was the sun kissing the horizon, painting their colorful collision in the sky and waters. The canvas progressively turned dark letting the moon and stars light the earth.

“Let's go for a walk,” suggested Lance pulling his boyfriend with him towards the dunes. Once they arrived on the beach, Lance took off his shoes, socks and blazer, and rolled up his dress-pants. Keith imitated his partner’s actions. They laid their belongings on a few boulders which were at the foot of the dunes, made sure to memorize the spot, then proceeded to walk towards the ocean.

Keith stopped walking a few meters away from the water. The transparent liquid crawled up the sand with white bubbles at its surface, stretching out as far as it could. Lance let the tiny waves crash at his feet with a beaming smile. The brunet glanced back at Keith. “C'mon,” he motioned grinning. His right hand was held back toward his lover while his left was open to the shimmering water. Keith gave Lance a hesitant look. The latter rolled his eyes at that and stomped over to where the short man was standing. He swiftly wrapped his arms around the other’s torso, earning a startled cry.

“Hey Lance–what–? No, don’t you dare–,“ warned Keith before squeaking as Lance lifted him over his shoulder. He wiggled around trying to break free from the strong grasp. “Put me down Lance!” Keith growled hitting his boyfriend’s back gently. Lance merely chuckled, carrying his damsel in distress deeper into the water. The dark haired male thumped Lance’s back repeatedly as signs of protest and complaint. He reached down and pinched his partner’s butt, resulting in him sliding down Lance’s chest until the cold water touched his feet since the brunet had purposely let him go.

“Don't move or I’ll let you fall,” cautioned Lance in a whisper. He was now holding Keith with one arm under his thighs and one pressed against his back. The short man frowned albeit agreed in silence. The tall Cuban put Keith down, letting him enter the water slowly until his feet touched the sand. The waves were small where they were standing, sometimes breaking at their feet. They were knee-deep with some waves splashing higher up, especially in Keith’s case. He trembled as the cold engulfed his legs. Lance released Keith completely, taking a small step back.

“Well, you might as well keep me warm now too,” retorted Keith pouting and holding his arms out. Lance laughed warmheartedly, wrapping his arms around his soulmate and leaving a trail of kisses down his neck. Keith felt a shiver run down his spine—and not because of the temperature this time. He smiled softly. “Silly,” he whispered and Lance laughed at that.

“You always know what to say, don't you,” he smiled down at his boyfriend before pecking his lips softly. They pulled away and held hands again, walking through the water that came up to their calves and sometimes knees.

At some point down the beach, Lance stopped walking, halting Keith as well since their hands were clasped in each other. The dark haired man turned around to a nervous-looking Lance.

“What's wrong?”

“Erm... I just...” 

Lance didn't know what to say. He lead Keith back to where the water hit their ankles and tickled their feet.

The brunet took a deep breath and looked into his lover’s confused eyes. He offered a small, timid smile as his palm caressed Keith’s cheek. The shorter man leaned into the touch and mirrored his smile. Lance tightened his grip on his boyfriend’s hand and breathed out, letting the words spill from his heart and roll out his mouth. 

“Keith, you mean the world to me. Honestly, ever since I was young I wished you were my soulmate, I prayed to the stars that you would never leave my side,” he explained and took both of Keith's hands in his. “I know I'm a lot sometimes, and that I annoy the hell out of you, but, I love you, I really do. Knowing that you are my soulmate means I can die a happy man, I'm sure. And, as long as I can be with you, I don't care where I am. We could be poor, we could be rich, we could be trapped in a video game, we could be in space, no matter where, you'll always be the only one for me. My one most treasured dream has already come true. Having you here, by my side. You're so beautiful and cute and adorable, and compared to me I just–” Lance teared up and he suppressed a sob, laughing slightly. “You deserve better than me, Keith...” 

Keith's eyes widened as he stepped closer to the boy he'd fight heaven and hell for.

“Lance,” he spoke out softly but the taller man shook his head.

“Keith, I'm insecure, I feel like I'm not good enough and just a filler, a burden to everyone. But... when I'm with you... I feel so important, like you need me to live or something.” Lance looked up at the starry sky. The moon was big and white, so was its blurry twin floating on the water.

“That's because I do need you Lance. I can't, and I don't want to live without you. Heck, you gave me hope to live. I remember when my grandmother died, you were there for me, you were the one I decided to live for. When I left... and I lost the paper with the phone number, I simply–I was devastated, y'know? And... my whole life depended on that little spark of hope of ever seeing you again. I just–“

Keith stopped to take a deep breath. Lance released one hand and cupped his cheek with it, rubbing his cheekbone gently with his thumb.

“I just love you so freaking much, that it hurts, Lance, it hurts.”

Keith started crying at the end of his sentence. Both lovers pulled each other into a tight hug. The embrace was like never before; their love coddled a newly found vulnerability making it into something both could share and use as support.

“Same here,” Lance whispered as he kissed Keith's forehead. He held his soft black hair in his fingers and shortly closed his eyes. “But, what I was getting at actually...”

Lance took a deep breath once again as he stepped away from Keith. One of his hands slid to his back pocket, all the while never breaking eye contact with his soulmate.

“I know we haven’t spent that much time together since our reunion, and despite that I'm so happy with the way our relationship is right now, I think we both need reassurance. I think that we're both scared of losing each other again. Well, I am at least... so... um, I don’t know if it’s the wedding mood, if it’s the valentine’s day atmosphere or simply the fact that I can’t get you off my mind, but...”

Lance got down on one knee in the shallow water. 

“Keith Kogane,” he began. Keith gasped, an incredulous expression on his face.

“Lance, what are you doing?” he questioned, his voice cracking up.

“Will you promise to marry me, one day?” asked Lance, holding a ring towards Keith. It was a cheap looking silver ring embedded with two heart-shaped gemstones—one blue, one red. The type of ring you would find in a bubblegum machine or in a Kinder egg.

“Lance I– Oh my Lord–“

Keith was crying once again. He looked back and forth between the ring and Lance’s worrying eyes. He bit his lip and raised his head to the sky, wiping his tears away. His breaths were uneven and it was hard to say if he was laughing or suffocating. Lance watched and waited with growing fear.

“You idiot!” grumbled Keith covering his eyes. “Why? Why are you doing this?”

Lance swallowed hard. He did not know how to react or what to respond. He simply remained still and silent with wide, horrified eyes. Keith gazed down to his boyfriend pushing his bangs out of his red eyes. He limply dropped his arms to his side and rolled his head back chuckling disappointedly.

“I was the one... who was supposed to propose... silly,” muttered Keith with a sigh and a small smile.

Lance blinked in bewilderment as the short man grazed his fingers to take the ring. Keith’s smile widened as he admired the accessory. Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes yet again. He was so content his prior frustration was completely washed away. Just before slipping it on his annular finger, he noticed that a date and their initials were carved on the inside.

“Do you have one?” he asked. Lance nodded and took his out of the other back pocket. Keith inspected the ring and just like in his, was marked a date and their initials. He giggled quietly and looked down at Lance with adoring eyes. Lance had fallen so deeply in love with that look that it could become a replacement for his oxygen since it was the only thing he would ever need to live.

“As you know, I'm not really good with promises unless there is equipment and proof involved,” joked Keith laughing lightheartedly at his own words, making Lance's stomach churn happily. “But, I don't know why I need to promise anything right now, because obviously I'd marry you any day, anywhere, no matter what the circumstances are,” he stated as he gently took Lance’s hand and slipped on the ring.

“But Lance, I wouldn't have a mullet if I'd say no to this. Of course I'll marry you one day, silly.”

“You're too good for this world Keith, Te amo mu–“ Lance started but got cut off by Keith tackling him in a hug. Both men fell in the very shallow water splashing wet sand all over their bodies. Water soaked Lance's button up shirt and his pants as he glared playfully at Keith. He gripped his boyfriend’s shoulders and switched positions so he was on top. Keith felt the cold water come in contact with his skin and he shivered from the cold sensation. He glared at Lance unamused. The Latino started worrying and pulled Keith up again so they were sitting. He wrapped his arms around his soulmate trying to warm him up.

Surprisingly, Keith let Lance hold him tight despite the uncomfortable feeling of salt and sand between their clothes and on their skin. He wrapped his own arms around Lance. It was such an innocent gesture.

Or rather it wasn't, because Keith flipped them over and pushed Lance into the water once again, laughing evilly.

“Ah! Why do I even love you? You're such a meanie!” Lance whined, as he looked up at the gorgeous man in front of him. His hair was soaked, and his purple eyes with hues of blue and grey sparkled happily. The atmosphere was light and happy, but something seemed to loom over them, however Lance just couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Suddenly the salt water started rushing and retreating behind them.

“Oh no–“ Keith groaned but got cut off when a huge wave crashed over the two lovebirds. 

The tide was moving up so the waves were becoming bigger and stronger. Lance rubbed the salt out of his eyes and he glanced over to Keith. They both were completely soaked with water dripping from their hair and clothes. It was silent for a few moments, until Keith snorted, and then broke out into a laughing fit. Lance joined in too, and they slowly sat up.

“Fuck,” Keith muttered once they were back on dry land. Lance couldn't stop laughing. Keith's face had been priceless just a minute ago after the wave went down. Even though he started laughing first.

“It's not funny! We can't go back and walk through the party soaking wet!” Keith huffed untying his hair and shaking his head. “And stop thinking so dirty, Lance!” He had seen the way Lance was looking at their drenched and sticking clothes, and had noticed the smirk on his face.

Keith marched off to where they left their clothes and shoes and Lance followed suit. They sat on the boulders and tried to wring the water out of their clothes. The Cuban simply took his shirt off and twirled it around hoping it wouldn’t wrinkle too much. He turned over to watch Keith who was silently undoing the bow tie around his neck. The brunet sighed as he contemplated his lover, his heartbeat speeding up again. Little droplets of sea water shined in his hair against the moonlight. Keith looked breathtaking. Today was supposed to be the day where Allura looked magical however to Lance, Keith was the only one who could ever look so heavenly.

“Hey grumpy cat,” Lance spoke out cautiously.

Keith huffed again but looked at his boyfriend nonetheless. “What?”

“I love you.” Lance gave him a cheeky, smug grin. Keith wanted to click his tongue, but instead he chuckled.

“It's hard to be mad when you're around me, go away, I want to act like a child and be moody.” Keith pushed against Lance's shoulder playfully.

“Alright then,” Lance agreed and stood up. Keith eyed his boyfriend mischievously.

“What are you planning to do–?”

Lance reached down to grab his jacket and in the same swift movement, he picked up Keith bridal style.

“But if I’m leaving, I’m taking what’s mine with.”

“Put me down–“ laughed Keith. Lance pursued his way with both his and Keith’s blazer and shoes in his hands, and of course, with his lover in his arms. The shorter man gave up on escape and simply held on to his soulmate. “Where are we going?”

He didn't get a reply, only a playful wink. Therefore he rested his head against Lance's chest with a sigh. He could hear and feel his steady heartbeat against his ear. It calmed Keith down as his eyelids became droopy. He closed them and focused on every detail he heard, felt or smelled; the sand moving beneath Lance's feet, the waves crashing down to the shore in the distance, Lance's steady breaths, the rise and the fall of his chest, his scent, his comforting presence.

“Hey Lance, what does the date on the rings mean?” questioned Keith, his eyes still closed. His boyfriend turned his face to look at him and smiled.

“It’s the day I found you again.”

Keith opened his eyes again. He felt his cheeks redden and his smile grow. He rested his head back after kissing Lance’s neck.

“After it was clear you were, well, you... I went back the following day—to the Ferris wheel, I mean. And I looked for a souvenir to mark the day. Finally I found an old stand where you could engrave things. There were several objects at disposition but I found the rings particularly charming. Therefore I asked for them to be engraved. I wanted to give them to you soon after... but it never felt right. I guess the mood today seemed like the perfect moment, plus there was the idea of marriage floating around, so I sort of improvised, letting my heart decide for me, like usual.”

The dark haired man tightened his embrace around his soulmate. He smiled brightly and felt his heart running crazily in his chest.

“And Keith?”

“Mmh?”

“You can propose next time if you want, for real.”

Keith laughed and hung his head back. “Sure. I was afraid you’d rob me of the privilege today, but it’s okay either way, as long as I get to spend the rest of my life with you.”

 

Lance halted and tenderly kissed Keith's temple to wake him up. The shorter man’s dark eyes fluttered open as he looked up at his lover. Lance released his calves and set Keith down. He laid out their suit blazers on the top of the dunes and sat on them, patting the space beside him. Keith was too lax to protest and sat down beside Lance. Their hands found their way to one another and overlapped like the waves over the sandy shore. They looked up at the night sky, the stars bright as ever.

“This all feels so surreal,” Lance sighed.

“Yeah,” agreed Keith as he rested his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder. “I love you too,” Keith replied to the statement from a few minutes ago. Lance chuckled, and smiled, turning to kiss Keith's forehead, but instead he was met by a pair of lips that he adored with his whole heart. Both the boys smiled into the kiss.

“So much,” Keith murmured.

They pulled back and smiled at each other, they did that a lot. It was their way of communicating. Just letting the thousand worlds in their eyes collide and blend, just reading each other’s lives in their souls.

They both looked down at their intertwined hands, holding them up. Fingers laced, hearts synced, feelings knotted, tattoo's matching; their souls were perfectly bound together.

 

『A ʟᴏɴᴇʟʏ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ᴄʀᴏssᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴀɴ ᴀɢɢʀᴇssɪᴠᴇ ᴀʀʀᴏᴡ, ғᴏʀᴍɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏɴsᴛᴇʟʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏғ ᴀ ᴘɪᴇʀᴄᴇᴅ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ. Cᴏɴsᴛᴇʟʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴs ᴄᴏɴɴᴇᴄᴛɪɴɢ ᴅᴏᴛs, making ᴀ ᴡᴀʏ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ sᴏᴜɢʜᴛ. Mᴇᴍᴏʀɪᴇs ғᴏʀᴍɪɴɢ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ʟɪғᴇʟɪɴᴇ ᴏɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴘᴀʟᴍ. A ʙʟᴜʀʀᴇᴅ ғᴀᴄᴇ, ᴀ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ʀᴏʟʟɪɴɢ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴏᴜʀ ʟɪᴘs ʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇᴅ. Bᴜᴛ ᴀʟʟ ᴡᴇ sᴇᴇ ɪs ᴀ ʙʟᴀɴᴋ sᴘᴀᴄᴇ. A ʙʟᴀɴᴋ sᴘᴀᴄᴇ ғᴜʟʟ ᴏғ ғᴏʀɢᴏᴛᴛᴇɴ ᴍᴇᴍᴏʀɪᴇs ᴏғ ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ ᴡᴇ ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴡᴇʟᴠᴇ. Wʜᴏ ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ, ᴍʏsᴛᴇʀʏ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ? ᴡᴇ ᴛʀʏ ᴛᴏ ғɪɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴏғ ᴏᴜʀ ᴍɪɴᴅs. ɪғ ᴡᴇ ғᴏʟʟᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏɴsᴛᴇʟʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ sᴋʏ, ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴡᴇ ғɪɴᴅ? Wɪʟʟ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ʙᴇ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ ɪs ᴡᴇ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ғɪɴᴅ? Lᴏᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴏɴ'ᴛ ʙᴇ ᴅᴇғɪɴᴇᴅ. Is ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴇ ᴡɪʟʟ ғɪɴᴅ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ'ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍɪɴɢ ᴏғ ᴏᴜʀ ᴡʜᴏʟᴇ ʟɪғᴇ? A ᴄᴏɴsᴛᴇʟʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏғ ᴀ ᴘɪᴇʀᴄᴇᴅ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ, ᴜᴘ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ sᴋʏ, ᴡʀɪᴛᴛᴇɴ ɪɴ ᴏᴜʀ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ. Sᴘᴏᴋᴇɴ ɪɴ ᴏᴜʀ ᴍɪɴᴅ, sᴇᴇɴ ᴏɴ ᴏᴜʀ ᴡʀɪsᴛ, ɪs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ғɪɴᴅ? Cᴏɴsᴛᴇʟʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴs ʀᴏᴀᴍ ɪɴ ᴏᴜʀ ᴍɪɴᴅs ᴀɴᴅ ᴏɴᴇ ᴅᴀʏ ᴏᴜʀ ᴍᴀʀᴋs ᴡɪʟʟ ᴄᴏᴍʙɪɴᴇ.』

『Nᴇʙᴜʟᴀ, ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀɴ ᴏᴄᴇᴀɴ ᴏғ ᴄᴏɴsᴛᴇʟʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴs ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ sᴋʏ. ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴇ ᴡɪʟʟ ғɪɴᴅ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ'ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ sᴇᴀʀᴄʜɪɴɢ ғᴏʀ, ғᴏʀ sᴜᴄʜ ᴀ ʟᴏɴɢ ᴛɪᴍᴇ.』

 

Lance McClain had always had enough love to share with his loved ones. He cared for others and was very emotional, yet he was lonely. His secluded heart like the constellation on his wrist, didn't want to be so lonesome anymore.

Keith Kogane had always isolated himself from everyone. His aggressive arrow like the constellation on his wrist needed to pierce something, let out their anger. It just needed to be understood.

A constellation forming a heart, for love, acceptance and patience.  
A constellation forming an arrow, for aggression, protection and short-temper.  
A constellation forming a pierced heart, for working together as one, opposites weighting each other out.

A myth says, when you connect eyes with your soulmate's, you can see a cloud of nebula reflecting in them, and gravity leaves you for a few moments, you float in space, and everything around you disappears. Your love becomes the universe, beautiful, incomprehensible, infinite.

Love is infinite.  
Just like the stars,  
the stars leading the way to separated souls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word count:8136
> 
> -Can’t help falling in love 
> 
> Finally! After eight months the last and final chapter five has arrived! Lots and lots has happened too. Don’t worry there might be extra contributions to this story like maybe an extra chapter or some art and stuff, who knows? ^-^
> 
> But in general this story is completed! So be satisfied haha
> 
> (28-04-2018, only 107 days to go until I meet my co-writer, best friend, internet soulmate, life saver and advisor In real life! I look at this story as a contribution to our friendship and I decided to share this note here! On 26-04-2017 we met online via my other klance story, (so if you read this, happy 1 year anniversary once again baby!!), and I just can’t imagine my life without her. If she hadn’t been in it, I might have not lived the past 3+ months, but I don’t think she realizes how important she is to me and how jealous, Insecure and possessive I am about our relationship. I love her so much Haha. )

**Author's Note:**

> So my online friend and I came up with this story, and she had the ideas, i mingled and added. I wrote and she edited. On wattpad you can check out the amazing cover she made for this book! (It's originally posted on my Wattpad, NaniTheQuiznak). I hope you'll enjoy! (:
> 
>  
> 
> [My Tumblr!](http://nanithequiznak.tumblr.com/)


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